X-Com 2 : Fear
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: How far will you go when you are afraid? What limits will you push? What lines will you cross? What evil will you do? Or what GOOD? This is a fanfiction. I own none of the rights to the X-Com series. This takes place during the events of the game. This will reference my other X-Com fanfic and yes, there will be spoilers for X-Com games.
1. Chapter 1

**Release**

His world was pretty sparse. It had four gray walls, a gray ceiling and a floor of only slightly less somber gray. It had a bunk and a small metal thing that he sat on when nature called. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had arrived here. Every so often, burly forms in dark uniforms came to drag him out of his world. He had learned not to fight them after the first time. Not that he was a fighter, he had been... What had he been? He couldn't remember.

A flash of memory came and he saw white walls, smiling faces over red and white clothing and...

He tried to bring the faces back, but they slid from his grip like freshly caught fish. Wait a moment. How did he know what those were or what they felt like?

He could hear something new now. Someone talking nearby. Not anyone he knew.

"-and _no_ , I don't like the orders either, but they came straight from the top." He stiffened as a voice he _did_ know spoke up.

"With all due respect, sir..." The female voice was hard and angry. He knew _her_. He didn't know her name, but she hated him. She had incredibly dark skin, white hair and a temper that would have scared anyone. Every chance she got, she hurt him. "We let him out and they _will_ snatch him up, put him to work again. You know it. We caught him once, they won't take the chance again."

"I know, Major." The listening man filed the 'Major' away. A name or a rank? Hard to say. "You are preaching to the choir here. But we don't have the resources to maintain this holding facility anymore. Too many mouths to feed as it is."

"So shoot him. Him and the others." The female snapped. "Or if you are worried about wasting bullets, I know _several_ people who would _love_ to get at him with blades."

"Major." The male voice said sharply. "Calm down. I know you are upset by him. I know _why_. With luck, the interrogations will have done permanent damage and no one will _ever_ suffer his touch again."

Interrogations? The male jerked on the bunk as memory of a sinister looking man in a dark mask made to look like a skull appeared close to him. The man didn't speak, didn't move. Purplish energy wafted from him in ribbons though and the man on the bunk fought to keep from crying out as the memory faded into pain. He focused on the angry woman's voice as she spoke again.

"It is not _enough_ , Sir." The woman's voice was cold and hard and the listener shivered in fear. Was she going to kill him? She had hurt him often enough. Many times he had woken back in this place in pain with bandages, once a cast on his arm. "If _anyone_ deserves to die, _he_ does. You know that, sir. You know what they will do. They will use him. Make him do it _again_."

"Our orders are clear, Major." The other said heavily. "We cannot hold this location. The enemy are pressing. Even as we advance in the city centers, they launch spoiling attacks elsewhere. There have been two encampments wiped out in their entirety within 200 kilometers. We are falling back to a more defensible position."

City... Center? The man's memory flashed again. Gleaming towers. Shining, clean streets willed with happy people. He had a sudden picture of a ground vehicle and... His memory vanished again.

"We _cannot_ let him loose, sir." The woman called Major said fiercely. "I will shoot him myself if I have to."

"Major. We have our orders. Get on the transport." This was not a suggestion and it was answered by a growl. "Guards."

"Sir!" The woman said and then gasped. "Let go of me!"

"Guards, get her to the transport, but don't hurt her or let _her_ hurt _you_. She isn't rational about him. God knows, she has a right to it."

A series of shouts and screams cut off and then the door to the man's world slammed open and a form in a gray uniform stood there glaring at him, hand on a holstered pistol of some kind. Some kind of soldier. The patch on the man's arm was familiar an X with some kind of words, maybe Latin? The man on the bunk couldn't say why or how he knew. The soldier did not speak, just glared. The man on the bunk stared at the door and the soldier before finding speech.

"Am I to be killed trying to escape then?" The man couldn't believe his voice sounded so bad. Hoarse, as if he had been screaming his voice raw for hours, days. How did he know what that sounded like?

"Stay or go." The cold hate in the soldier's voice cut the man on the bunk to the quick. "It is all the same to me. You are no longer my responsibility. But ah... word of advice. If I see you again after today, you die. If the _Major_ sees you _ever_ again, you will _beg_ for death before she is done with you, you _Advent scum_."

The angry soldier turned and left, leaving the other to reel at the sheer hate in his words. But the words had stirred something else. A symbol, a red square atop a red vertical line with two horizontal blocks and four red blocks coming off downward it in varying sizes and shapes. A feeling of pain swept through him and no matter his efforts, he could not move as the pain tore through him and beyond, leaving him weak and dizzy. When he recovered, he looked and the door was still open.

He rose to his feet carefully and stumbled. He was very weak and he hurt in a number of places. The clothing he wore, if you could call it that, was thin and he wore nothing on his feet. The pants were loose and the shirt was as well. The colors were ghastly, the main shade was an orange that was too bright and at the same time, too drab. He was very confused and when he checked, parts of his body were sore. A quick exam of what he could see showed well healed scars on his arms and legs. He staggered to the door and peered out carefully. No sounds, no people. No nothing. A corridor he barely remembered showed going in two directions and he shook his head. Every time they dragged him out, they took him to the left, so he eased out to the right.

He was expecting something to happen, but nothing did. Then he heard it. A soft crying was coming from somewhere nearby. It sounded familiar. But where did he know the voice from? Something in the sobs called out to him. Someone was in pain and it wasn't him for once. He wanted to help. He had to help.

He was still wary as he eased down the hall to a door that was closed, but the latch on the door was not latched. The sobs were coming from behind the door. He was ready for anything when he opened the door. Or so he thought. The room was another cell, exactly as his own cell had been. But instead of him, a woman lay on the bunk, her face pale and drawn with fear and pain. She wore the same kind of outfit he did. Her head had been shaved and the signs of surgery shone on it. How did he know that? He wasn't sure. But he _did_ know _her_. Her skin was as olive as ever and he could see her dark hair growing back in.

"Ana?" He asked as he stepped forward. She did not react to his voice, simply kept sobbing. He knew her though! She was one of his patients! "Ana? What is wrong?" She did not react to his voice. He was very careful, but she did not react when he touched her arm. She did not react when he turned her face to look at her eyes and hissed in shock. Her eyes were _gone_! He shook his head in horror. "Oh Ana! What have they done to you?"

He gathered her up and she did not react as he hugged her gently, trying with all his might to get through. But whatever had been done to her had rendered her unreachable. He had no means of determining what had been done. All he could do was try and console her. And try to move past his sudden rage.

"Damn them!" He snapped as he held the crying woman. "They had no _right_ to do this! You did _nothing_ to anyone! You were hurt! I helped you! That is all! You are an innocent!"

"Is _that_ what you called it?" He spun to see his nightmare standing in the doorway. The Major held an odd pistol in her hand. The end glowed red, not like any pistol he had ever seen. " _Help_? You called what you did _help?_ "

" _You had no right to do this!_ " He screamed at the woman for all the good it would do. "She did nothing to you! Nothing!" He stared as she paused and then laughed coldly. "What?"

"That is the _first_ truthful thing you have said since you were brought in here!" She said with a snarl. "You are a lying, cheating, molesting piece of Advent filth and I would dearly love to blow your brains out now." She took aim and he rose, standing between her and Ana.

"Then do it." The man snapped. "You have the gun! Do it."

"Actually..." The Major shook her head slowly. "I have a better idea." She aimed and fired, but the red thing that flew from it didn't hit him! He stared at her and then spun to see a large red hole in Ana's arm. It was bleeding freely but odd, not like a bullet wound at all. More like a burn!

"NO! You evil _bitch_!" The doctor snapped, spinning back to the soldier, but she was gone!

"Coming from _you_ , that is a compliment." The woman's mocking voice came from nowhere. "I would tourniquet that before she bleeds out. The medical supplies are three doors down on the right."

"Why are you doing this?" The doctor demanded as he tore off his shirt and wrapped Ana's arm in it, pulling it tight to stem the flow of blood.

"You took everything from me." The Major said coldly. "I am going to take everything from you. But not yet. For now? I want to see you squirm. I want to see you scream and plead and beg as you fail over and over again. You always said you are better than everyone else, Doctor." She said coldly. "Prove it. Save her. Or you are not better than any other human despite your _wishes_. Your pleas mean nothing to me. Go on. Show me how much better than us you are. Because _when_ you fail and she dies, I _will_ kill you. Until then? I want you to _suffer_!"

"What kind of a game is this? The doctor demanded, but there was no response. He ran to the door, but she was nowhere in sight. Ana was getting pale and he sighed. He ran and lo and behold? Three doors down on the left was a room filled with medical supplies. Not what he was used to, but comprehensive. He grabbed what he could and ran back. Ana was still bleeding and she had slumped unconscious.

"Damn her." The doctor said with feeling as he started working feverishly, his hands moving in rapid trained patterns. "I am not going to let you die, Ana. We have been through too much for me to lose you now."

He finished treating the odd wound on Ana's arm and shook his head. It wasn't like any wound he had seen before. Not like a bullet or… His mind fuzzed for a moment and then he shook his head again. Not like the wounds Ana had carried when he had first seen her. She had been so close to death that for a time, he had despaired of her ever waking, but she had and her youthful exuberance had been a joy to him in his often dreary work. He had put her back together but nothing could have saved the mind that she had possessed before. He didn't know who she had been before she had been brought into his clinic and truth be told? He didn't care. She had accepted his help and after her recovery had pledged herself to him. Together, they had worked tirelessly to bring care to so many who needed it.

His memories were coming back, but they were still fuzzy. He didn't know who he had been working for or why he had been imprisoned. What he did know was that he was a doctor and he liked helping people.

He brushed Ana's shaven head and she murmured in her sleep. He carefully peeled back her eyelids and stared at the damage in her eye sockets. It was odd. It hadn't been done by any weapon or surgical technique he knew of. Not that any of the surgeons he knew of would intentionally blind someone like this. The only ones he knew of who would be so cruel were the dissidents and _they_ hadn't had him. Had they? His mind fuzzed again.

"Why?" He pleaded to the empty air. "Why did you do this to her?" There was no answer and he slumped. "She is evil, no question. If she attacks us, we are dead, Ana. So… I need to see about healing this and getting us somewhere safe. Somewhere they can help us both."

Ana did not respond and he sighed again as he finished wrapping her arm in a bandage that would protect the wound from any conceivable further trauma outside of another shot from the madwoman.

Ana muttered in her sleep and he paused, leaning close. But the words made no sense. Mostly what had to be curses and the word 'No' repeated over and over.

"Easy, Ana." He gathered her up again and held her until she subsided. "It is all right. It is all right." He said gently. "You are safe. I am here. You are safe." She relaxed almost against her will.

"Knew I heard voices in here!" A new voice sounded and he spun to see a young pale skinned woman standing in the door, a very old shotgun in her hands. Her clothing was dirty but in fairly good repair. He shirt and trousers were not made of anything he knew from the limited memories he had. "Where the hell did you two come from? This place has been abandoned for years."

"We were prisoners here." The man said slowly, not taking his eyes off the woman's shotgun. "I am a doctor and this is Ana, my assistant. They hurt her." The girl's eyes went huge.

"You are a doctor? Really?" She said quickly. "Oh good! We need medical help! We have a lot of people who have been hurt, but only a few people have any training in medicine."

"There are medical supplies here." The doctor said slowly. "But I cannot leave Ana. They hurt her, blinded her." The girl came close, looked at Ana's face and hissed in disgust.

"There are four of us scouting the ruins for supplies." The girl said with a nod. "I will call them." She stood back and raised her head to shout, but paused as the doctor hissed at her.

"No!" The man said quickly. "That will endanger them. There is a crazy woman in this area! She shot Ana. She didn't have any reason to, she just wanted to."

"This just gets better and better." The girl said with a sigh. "I am Valeria. You?"

"I..." The man shook his head. "I know I have a name. I just don't remember it. Whatever they did to me messed up my head. But I do still remember how to patch up wounds." He nodded to Ana's arm.

"We need that kind of skill, bad." The girl said slowly. "You say there are medical supplies here?" It was hard to say what was worse. The hope that filled her voice or the despair that sounded as if it was choking that hope.

"Third door on the right." The doctor said slowly. The girl vanished as swiftly as she had appeared. He looked at Ana who hadn't moved. "Maybe she can help us. Maybe we can help her."

"If that crazy woman lets us."

* * *

Not very nearby

"Let me go!" Major Kirsten snapped as two iron hands pulled her towards the waiting Skyranger.

"Don't make us stun you, Major." The woman on the left said firmly as the man on the right pulled her. His eyes were the only visible thing through his black skull mask and _they_ glowed violet. The woman wore full Warden armor and her storm gun was holstered as she had her hands full pulling the furious guard. "We have our orders. You are going back and you are going to have a long rest."

"Why didn't they order me to _kill him_?" Kirsten screamed as the hatch on the rear of the Skyranger opened up and she was half dragged, half led up it. "I would have!"

"I don't argue with the Commander." The other said with a sigh. "Neither should you. You have a date with the shrinks."

"I am not crazy!" The furious woman screamed as she was manhandled to a seat and the belts engaged around her. She fought them and the two mismatched operatives shared a look. The skull faced man touched the angry soldier's head and she collapsed boneless. "I am not." She said weakly. "Colonel, I am not."

"I know." The other said quietly as she sat beside the now wilting guard and cuffed her hands in front of her. "But you _did_ disobey orders and you _did_ assault two guards who were ordered to evacuate you. You also shot that woman in cold blood. No one blames you for being angry, Major. _No one_. But you need to face the music for what you did. He is not your problem now. He is ours."

"We can't let him get away with this!" Kirsten pleaded.

"Oh, he won't." The skull faced man said in a tone that was just shy of bone dry. "Trust me. He won't." He readied a syringe and Kirsten stared at it.

"Promise?" She begged weakly as the psi injected her. As she slumped into comforting darkness, she heard Colonel Kelly speak again.

"We promise. He won't get away with what he did to your sister."


	2. Chapter 2

**Loose ends**

He finished up the bandaging and smiled at the little boy who eyed him with deep suspicion. He supposed he couldn't really blame the boy. For so long people had insisted on living out here on the fringes. He wasn't entirely sure why. There were no amenities and few opportunities. What he remembered of life in the city centers was clean and comfortable, if not always as pleasant or uneventful as he might have wished. Life out here was anything but easy. If he hadn't been here, the simple infection that had set into a scratch on the boy's arm might have claimed his life. The wound had been heading towards blood poisoning, but luckily, there had been a good supply of antibiotics among the medical supplies that had been found in the prison he had been in. He had caught it in time.

He nodded to the boy's mother.

"Keep it clean for the next couple of days and he should be fine." The doctor said with a nod as the woman scooped up her kid. "Then again, he is a kid, so that is easier said than done anywhere, let alone here."

The woman smiled at him and then left the room. He wasn't sure where he was. He had been blindfolded for the trip and it had taken some time. He had smelled things that he dearly wished he could forget, heard things that would haunt him, but when the blindfold had come off, he had found himself in this underground complex. It was dark, wet and more than a bit on the cold side. But it was also filled with humans. Men, woman, children, at least a hundred humans packed into this place, whatever it had been. He had seen signs that said Track 6 and Track 8. So, some kind of old train station? He wasn't sure. History wasn't really his thing.

"Doc?" A familiar voice sounded and he smiled as Kerry came in. The girl was perhaps thirteen, although it was hard to tell. She was so small and thin. His heart liked to break when he saw her, but her smile could light the room. She wasn't sick, just starved. She had taken over as his secretary when Valere had gone back out.

"Kos will be fine." The doctor said with a low moan as he stretched. "Although I have no idea _what_ we will do when we run out of antibiotics." He stiffened as Kerry's face closed a little.

"We will do what we did before you came." She said quietly. "We will go on."

"Kerry..." He trailed off. The people who ran this place did not like it when he spoke out about the conditions here. "I worry. Not just for myself and Ana. But you are good people."

"All we can do is go on, Doc." Kerry said with a shrug. Her face was far too old for her years. "None of us are giving up." She shook her head. "I got Ana to eat."

"You _did_?" The doc perked up. "Thank god. I was so worried. When she didn't wake and then when she refused to eat, I worried a lot. I fear what they did to her. They messed me up badly and she was so hurt before. There was no way she could resist it. She was never a fighter."

"Are you sure?" Kerry asked. The doctor stared at her and she shook her head. "Doc, I have seen such scars before."

The wounds on Ana's chest were distinctive. Nothing her knew of that was human made caused wounds like that. There was little chance Advent hadn't done it to her. The wounds should have killed her, nearly did kill her. But he had helped her.

"I don't know who she was before she came into my care." The doctor admitted. "But I put her back together and she is a good person. A good friend. She didn't deserve this."

"Yeah-" Kerry started to say more and then both stiffened as a shout came from nearby.

"Doc!" A strong male voice sounded and both hurried out to horror. Two men held a limp bloody mass in their hands.

"Oh no." Kerry gasped as they laid their burden on the floor and it resolved into Valere.

"Not there!" The doctor snapped. He spun and growled. _Every_ surface in the area was _filthy_.

"Here." Kerry said and swept a tattered blanket over the floor. The men moved Valere onto it. It was still nasty, but it was cleaner than the floor.

" _What_ happened?" The doctor snapped as he started his examination. Valere was bleeding from three places. Arm, leg and head. The arm and leg wounds were bad, but the head wound worried him. They always bled a lot, but it looked deeper than the others. If whatever had hit her had hit her _brain_ …

"We were scouting, scavenging." The man said with a nod. "We found an old military truck with stuff inside. She told us to pack up what we could and she went to keep watch. We were clearing the area when she screamed. They caught her out in the open. She tried to run and they shot her. We couldn't get to her until they left!"

"Advent." The doctor had seen wounds like this many times since arriving. But it didn't make any _sense_. The girl knew better than to carry a weapon, didn't she? "Why? Was she armed?"

"They don't care." The man snapped. Kerry glared at him and he shook his head. "She wasn't. Out here? You obey them instantly or you die. Simple as that. She didn't. She tried to run, to lead them away from us. They shot her and left her to bleed out." That wasn't right. That _couldn't_ be right. The doctor snarled at himself and focused on the sorely hurt girl.

"Out." The doctor snapped as he started reaching for the basin in which he kept his small supply of boiled water.

"What can I do?" Kerry asked as the doctor started cleaning his hands. He wished for gloves, but he might as well wish for a fully equipped trauma center. He knew. He knew as soon as he saw her head injury that he couldn't save her. But he had to try.

"If you are religious? _Pray_."

* * *

An hour later

He hated this. He hated it when he failed. He slumped as he stared at the slack features and then slowly, with a trembling hand, pulled the sheet over Valere's face. She had been kind to him, even though it was clear from the very beginning that she did not trust him entirely. Even with that, she had been kind to both him and Ana.

And now she was gone.

He didn't know how old she had been. She hadn't been over twenty, that was perfectly clear. She had never seen the world before Unification. But she had seen so much, survived so much. To be gunned down and left to die… Something was very wrong here. Advent didn't _do_ that. They would have taken her, rehabilitated her, tried to anyway. She would have resisted, but… she would have been alive!

"Doctor?" A familiar voice sounded from nearby. "You did everything you could."

"It wasn't _enough_ , Imam Robinson." The doctor stared at the shrouded form in front of him, not looking at what passed for the spiritual leader here. "I could have saved her. With proper gear and proper help, I could have saved her. If I… If only… _Any_ clinic in _any_ city center would have been able to save her!"

"She would not have thanked you for such. She treasured her freedom." The other said quietly. He wasn't a nice man on most occasions, but the doctor had realized quickly that he was a good man, if strict. He was scrupulously fair and he did not demand that others believe what he did. That put him ahead of many religious persons that the doctor remembered both from reading and from meeting them. "She is free now." He laid a hand on the still form and muttered something in what was probably doc didn't know Arabic from Swahili, so it might have been rude words for all he knew.

"That doesn't help. She can't hear you." The doctor said wearily. The Imam looked at him and the doctor flushed. "I am sorry. I just..."

"You fought hard and well. You were over matched. Death is the most relentless of humanity's foes." The sort of cleric said quietly. The doctor wasn't entirely clear on what an Imam was. A cleric? A wise man? Some kind of guide? It didn't make a lot of sense to the doctor who had spent most of his life ignoring religion. "The words are not for her. Either there is a life after this one or there is not. Either way, she is no longer bound here. She is not in pain now, Doctor. _We_ are."

"I know." The doctor said quietly. "We are lessened by her loss. She was a good person. What… What will you do with her...?" He stumbled over the words and then continued. "Her body?" He froze as the Imam looked at him. "You _wouldn't!_ "

"No. We are not cannibals." The Imam said severely. "And I would thank you not to put such ideas into the heads of the children." The doctor winced. That wouldn't be good, no. They were scared enough most of the time as it was.

"Such has happened." The doctor said slowly. The Imam looked away. "Here?"

"Not here." The cleric said heavily. "But yes, it has happened. Many times, many places. Hunger is hard to ignore, especially for the desperate and the dead feel nothing. The thing is, it is not always violent or non-consensual. There have been tales for millennia from any cultures about parents or grandparents who sacrificed all for their well being of their children. Even their own flesh."

"I… cannot believe that." The doctor said wearily.

"Humans have done strange things for those we love throughout our history." The Imam said with a shrug. "You need rest."

"I should..." The doctor winced as he looked at his gore smeared tools. "I need to clean up." Cleaning his tools would be hard enough if he did it now. If he waited and the blood dried? Ouch.

"Do you want some help?" The Imam asked and the doctor froze. "I too detest failing my flock."

"I…" The doctor nodded, smiled a little sadly and started gathering up his things. "I would be honored."

There was a stream that ran through one of the tunnels nearby and while it was cold, it would serve to clean the tools until he could do a more thorough cleaning with boiled water and what soap was available. The Imam gathered the rest, bundling it into a blanket. Both left the room in silence. Outside, the area was quiet, hushed. Several men stood nearby, their heads bowed.

"He did everything he could." The Imam said sadly. "It wasn't enough. Our sister Valere has gone. Her body must be laid to rest far from here. In'Shallah."

A murmur from several religions followed the Imam's words. One made a gesture that it took a moment for the doctor to recognize as the sign of a cross.

"She had a favorite place." One of the men said quietly. "A little grove of trees. We will take her there and leave her to the elements."

"You won't bury her?" The doctor asked and then he made a face. "I am a fool. Of _course_ you can't."

If Advent were in the area and simply gunning people down, then half a dozen men in one place at one time was a ripe target. They had already lost one, they didn't need to lose any more people who could scavenge. Not everyone in the underground facility _could_.

"There are natural hollows there, Doc." The man who had spoke said quietly. "We can put her in one, drop a tree on it. Not a proper grave, but she always liked trees."

"Yeah. She did." The doctor said quietly as he started off for the tunnel that he knew led to the stream. He and the Imam walked in silence and he was glad for that. He needed time to come to grips with this. Advent didn't just shoot people in his experience. They _didn't_. So something else was going on.

"You know them." The Imam said quietly as they walked. The doctor thought about that for a moment and then sighed.

"I thought I did. But this? No." He shook his head. "I always worked to save lives. To help people. That is what I did. Yes, I worked for them." He said quietly as they entered the tunnel. "Will you kill me now?"

"Pragmatism says we probably should. Or at least kick you out." The Imam said with a frown as he laid the bundle he carried down by the water. The doctor nodded and found the soap. He started scrubbing his tool. "But you have helped here a great deal." He held out a hand and the doctor handed the soap to the man. "And anyone who might think you evil hasn't seen you with your friend Ana." His grim visage cracked for a moment with a small smile. The doctor had his hands full with Ana. Keeping her clean, keeping her fed, keeping fluids in her, it was all a never ending challenge. But if Kerry had managed to coax Ana to eat, then there was hope.

"My memory is a chaotic jumble." The doctor said with a sigh as he finished up with the scalpels and started on the probes. "I thought I was doing good. I remember that. But was I? I don't know. I don't remember what I did. I remember helping Ana, but other than that? I have no idea why I was imprisoned, why they hurt me, hurt Ana."

"One man's good is another man's evil." The Imam said with a nod as he started rinsing the towels. "If I know nothing else, I know that." The doctor looked at him and the Imam shook his head. "Before the aliens came, I was not a good man. I was not a man of the Book no matter what I _said_. At best I was a soldier, at worst? A thug."

"You don't need to tell me." The doctor said quickly.

"I am old." The cleric said with growl. "Few today have ever _heard_ of Hamas or Hezbullah and that is a very good thing. History can be good or it can be a horror. Some of the things I did as a youth stained my very soul, but they also taught me how to survive when things got worst. I too sought to help, but my vocation was always more violent than yours. Until the end times and I found a better way." He chortled a little. "Allah has a very strange sense of humor though. Half of my initial flock was _Israeli_. If my cell leader could see me now..." The doctor didn't really know what that meant. Israel had been a country, pre- Unification, right? But the sentiment he did understand.

"My instructors despaired of me learning. I so sure I knew it all that I was too busy to learn what I didn't know." The doctor said with a smile. It faded. "They… They called me 'Cooper'? Was that a family name or a first name? I don't know." He focused, but the memory faded again. He sighed and worked to wash his gear.

"It will come when it comes or it will not" The old cleric replied. "In'shallah."

"I do not believe what you believe." The doctor replied, working hard to keep his temper in check. "I won't."

"No one is demanding you do that." The other replied as he finished up with the towels and laid them out to dry. "One of many things we have learned since the fall." The doctor finished his cleaning and packed his tools into a small bag that rarely left his side. The Imam nodded to him. "Get some rest." The elderly man said with a nod. "We will have a meeting later. You need to know, there are those who have spoken out about Ana."

"She is a drain." The doctor said quietly. "She does not contribute. I know."

"Neither do children." The Imam replied. "But they are the future. Ana is a harder one to judge. If she recovers, all well and good. But even then..." He trailed off as the doctor groaned.

"She is blind." The doctor finished. "She won't be able to do as much as the others."

"You might be surprised." The Imam replied. "One of my first group was blind and he was incredibly useful. His ears were better than anyone else's and he could hear enemies walking through the tunnels _long_ before we could see their light or her them ourselves. She is only as 'disabled' as she decides to be." He made the word 'disabled' a curse.

"Kerry got her to eat, so that is something." The doctor said with a nod. "I will go check on her and like you say. I will get some rest."

"We will have a memorial for Valere in a few hours." The Imam nodded as the doctor headed out. "Be there. There are many who will want to talk to you."

"I have no idea what to say." The doctor admitted. "I barely knew her."

"You fought for her." The cleric replied. "Just be honest. That will be enough."

The doctor made his way back into the main corridors. People nodded as he passed, some offered smiles, but everyone was sad. He knew why. No one spoke as he made his way tot he small chamber that served as his home. At the door, he froze as sounds came from inside. Sobbing?

He pushed aside the curtain that closed off the old railway car and stepped into the room, Broken sunlight pushed down through mostly intact windows up far above to slant the room in odd shadows most of the time. He was sure that some kind of mirrors were used to angle it, but he had never seen them. He had never been out of these main rooms. What met his eyes was not all that surprising. Kerry knelt, her head bowed and her face streaming tears. Ana held her gently. What _was_ surprising was the bluish purple energy that was coruscating from Ana's empty eye sockets and covering Kerry's _skull_.

"What?" The doctor gasped and Ana's face came up. Her face was utterly blank as the energy reached out to him.

 _You have done well. These will serve well._ The voice wasn't Ana! It was… Suddenly, he couldn't move or cry out! _You are sad._ _Sleep now._

He barely felt Kerry and Ana ease him to the floor. He felt the energy seeping through his mind and he screamed silently as he was submerged in it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Grief**

He woke up quickly and tried to remember the dream that had shocked him awake. It faded from his mind even as he tried to hold it. The only thing he could remember was a blue-purple color. But that too faded as he opened his eyes.

The small compartment was as he remembered. A broken fold out bunk hung down to the floor on one side, a small area with a mirror dominated the other side of the small room. It had once boasted a faucet as well, but now the spigot was a mass of rust. The basin was intact, but filling it would be a chore. He had done to to clean Ana a couple of-

Ana!

Where was Ana? She wasn't in the room! He was lying on the floor, the blanket that someone had donated to help him keep her warm now covering him. He jerked upright. Where was she? She couldn't see, but…

"He is awake."A familiar voice sounded from the door and he stared as it swept open. Ana came in, her face grave. "Good morning, doctor. At least, I think it is morning." She said with a self depreciating grin. "Kind of hard to tell."

Why did he think her eyes were glowing? They were not. The evil scum who had held her had taken her eyes. Indeed, someone kind had bandaged her eyes, covering the empty eye sockets. She wore a shirt and trousers of neutral color and her shoes had seen better days, but seemed to fit.

"Good morning, Ana." He managed through suddenly dry throat. Why was he afraid of her? That made no sense at all. She reached out to touch him, connected to his arm and his fear vanished as if it had never been.

"I may not be able to see, Doctor, but I am capable of moving and such."Ana replied. Kerry appeared in the doorway behind her, the girls face worried. "Kerry has been filling me in on what has been happening since we… um… Did we escape?" She asked carefully.

"No." The doctor sighed. "The ones holding us apparently left. They left us behind. I am not sure why. I have no idea why they took your eyes." He touched her cheek gently and she frowned a little. "I am sorry, Ana."

"It is inconvenient." Ana admitted. "But I am alive. Where there is life, there is hope. If we can make our way to a clinic, you can probably repair the damage."

"And here, I thought I was the optimist." The doctor stroked her cheek gently. "These people have it rough, Ana. I have to help if I can. They were hiding us both. Now that you are awake though… We need to make some plans."

"Kerry has explained." Ana held out a hand behind her and Kerry stepped in to take it, the girl's face solemn. "You are practicing medicine here and I was out of it." She shook her head. "What I remember doesn't make any sense."

"Me too." The doctor admitted. "There was an evil woman there, whatever that horrible place was. She hurt me a lot. She shot you. I bet she took your eyes." Hate reared up in his words and he tamped it back.

"Hate has destroyed a lot in human history." Ana said with a sigh. "Unification was supposed to end that, but it didn't. I do not think anything can."

"Humans are humans." Kerry gave Ana's hand a squeeze. "We are stubborn and contrary. Given a chance, we will do anything no matter how bad."

"That we are." Ana smiled fondly at Kerry who flushed a little. "But we are also capable of great deeds to counter the evil ones." She smiled at Kerry. "Case in point? _You_ tending a blinded invalid while she got off her ass."

"I am nothing special." Kerry protested.

"I disagree." Ana pulled Kerry into an embrace and the girl gave a squeak, but then relaxed and returned it. Ana released her and Kerry backed up a step. "Do you want to stay, doctor? These people could certainly use your help."

"I don't know." The doctor admitted. "I was focused on you. Now that you are awake, we can think about the future."

"Right." Ana nodded. "Kerry says there is a meeting of some kind soon?"

"A memorial." The man said quietly and Ana froze. "The girl that found us, she was scavenging again and Advent soldiers killed her."

"What?" Ana inhaled sharply. "They wouldn't just kill her. Would they?" She asked, concerned.

"They are not supposed to, but apparently they did." The doctor said sadly. "She had been shot in the head, Ana. There was nothing I could do."

"Oh, Doctor Cooper, I am sorry." Ana said with a tiny sob as she pulled him close and hugged him tight.

"Is that my name?" The doctor asked tightly. Ana went totally still. "I… My mind is a jumbled mess. I don't remember my name."

"My god." Ana inhaled in horror. "What did they do to you? To _us_?" She gave herself a shake. "Your name is Cooper. It is the only name you ever used. My name is Ana Ramirez."

"I knew _that_." The doctor smirked as Ana swatted playfully at his arm. "Cooper? That does feel right."

"I would hope so." Ana said with a sigh. "You were the first bright thing in my mind for a long, long time. You just would not stop working to get me functional again and you would not let _me_ stop. I _still_ think you are a sadist."

She rubbed her chest where he knew a trio of small perfectly round scars lay next to her breastbone. They were mirrored by identical scars on her back. He knew what had caused them, but he had no idea _why_ Ana had been shot by an Advent rail-gun. Neither did she. He also had no idea how the projectiles had not severed her spine and killed her instantly. They should have but she was standing there talking, so they hadn't.

"You are not _supposed_ to _like_ the person who makes you do physical therapy, Ana." Doctor Cooper said with a grin. "You needed it and finished it. You have almost a full range of motion as a result."

"Still hurt like hell." Ana complained whimsically. Kerry grinned at her as well, but reminded silent. "Would I be welcome at this meeting? I did not know this girl."

"You will be welcome." Kerry said quietly. "A lot of people were worried about you."

"What was her name? The girl who died?" Ana asked as the doctor stepped towards the door. She moved to let him pass. There was not a lot of space in this old railway car. "And how did you know her?"

"Her name was Valere." Doctor Cooper said quietly. "And she found us both in that horrible place. The guards had apparently fled and she was scavenging. She found a pile of medical supplies there too, so whatever the ones who had us did to us, they didn't want us dead."

"Who had us?" Ana asked as Kerry took her hand and started walking, Ana followed. "I don't remember anything there but pain. I was..." Her brow furrowed. "We were on our way to work. I remember that. There was a bang and my head hurt. I hurt every time I woke. Then I woke up here."

"More than I remember." Doctor Cooper said as he matched Kerry's pace. "I remember the clinic. I remember my training. I remember my patients. Even those who severely stretched my _patience_." He mock growled at Ana who shrugged.

"I have no idea who you might be talking about." Ans said primly. Her solemn tone was marred by Kerry's giggle. "I was a perfect patient."

"A perfect _pain in the butt._ " The doctor retorted.

"Hey!" Ana said severely. "I never kicked the bedpans out off the bed like Peter did."

"No." Doctor Cooper agreed. "You threw it at me." Kerry stared form him to Ana, her face shocked.

"I hoped you wouldn't remember that." Ana said in a tiny voice. "I was...stressed. The meds hadn't kicked in yet and I was confused."

"You _drenched_ me with your waste, Ana." Doctor Cooper said severely. "It was kind of memorable."

"At least there were not any solids in it." Ana said with a growl of her own and suddenly, both were laughing. Kerry stared from one to the other and Ana took pity on her apparently loud confusion. "A doctor like this one doesn't _do_ clean jobs, Kerry. What I did was excessive and very messy. I did apologize when I finally calmed down. The meds they had me on made me irrational until they balanced them."

"It wasn't really her fault." Doctor Cooper agreed. "Not that I will ever forgive that. And I will get you back for it."

"So… the cleaning that you made me do of that entire room with that tiny brush _wasn't_ the punishment?" Ana asked, wide eyed. But she was smiling.

"Oh no." Doctor Cooper said with a grin. "I want you to tremble with anticipation of my justified revenge."

"Oh, woe is me!" Ana was laughing now as they walked. More than one person was walking the same way and everyone stared at her. She ignored them. "Dang that dastardly do-good-er who has done such dirty deeds to me. Dare I dream of dangerous dudes doing..." She fumbled. "Um… doing..." She frowned. "Hmm."

"Don't stop on my account." The doctor was chuckling many of the others around them did as well.

"Don't make me do it." Ana said with a growl.

"Ana..." The doctor winced as she took a deep breath. "We are guests. Don't- _Ana_!" He protested as she started to _sing_!

'I am the very model of a modern Major-General,  
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,  
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical  
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;  
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,  
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,  
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,'

She paused and another voice sang. The Imam! His rough baritone sounded unused, but he knew the words apparently.

'With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.'

Ana froze as the cleric shook his head. The doctor did as well. But Kerry was smiling. Indeed, _everyone_ was. The Imam wasn't but it looked like he _wanted_ to.

"It has been a long time since I heard Gilbert and Sullivan." The Imam said with a nod. "Well sung, Ma'am. Although it was supposed to have been sung by a man."

"I don't know its history." Ana seemed to shrink a little. "I learned it to… Well..." She made a face.

"She learned it to make my life _miserable_." Doctor Cooper said with a grin as Ana grimaced at him. More than one person in the surrounding area laughed."We didn't have a lot of reading material in our recovery ward, so she devoured the stuff we had. One of them was the complete works of Gilbert and Sullivan. I came every day to be serenaded by that or other stuff."

"I heard stories about the reading material that was available in doctor's offices." The Imam replied with a nod. "But that level of skill speaks of practice."

"Oh, she practiced. I do not know how she got hold of a recording of some of those songs." Doctor Cooper said savagely. "And if I _ever_ find out who gave the earphones to her, I will strap _them_ to a chair and make _them_ listen to her for hours as punishment. That is not even remotely _close_ to the worst she knows."

"You sang for him." The Imam was looking at Ana who flushed under his regard. Even without eyes, she could feel it.

" _At_ him more like. Even with everything else..." Ana said with a shrug. "It was boring lying around all day. I had to do something." She paused and her smile turned feral. " _And_ he annoyed me, demanding I use muscles that hurt."

"Physical therapy sucks." The Imam said with a nod. "I have been there too and no, it wasn't something I ever want to repeat. From the wounds you show, you should have died."

"I know." Ana said quietly. "I don't know how I survived, but once I was in his care? I had no _choice_ but to get better." This last was so sour more than one person in the audience chuckled. "I did not know this other girl. The one who died. Am I intruding?"

"Death is an inextricable part of the human condition." The Imam was calm, but his eyes never left Ana's face. What did he see there? "Valere brought you here hoping to help you or to add to our community. The only way for humanity to survive is together. She knew this. She will be missed, but you are here and that is a good thing."

"And I do not know where I am." Ana said with a smile. "So leaving is pretty much not going to happen even without this." She waved a hand at her bandaged eyes.

"With Advent on the prowl outside, leaving would be very dangerous." The Imam agreed. "You and he worked for Advent." A growl swept the room and more than one of the shadowed forms held blocky objects that the doctor did not look closely at.

"We did." Doctor Cooper moved to stand by Ana. "I was a doctor and Ana was my assistant. I never hurt anyone that I remember." He paused. Ana shook her head.

"Our job was to heal bodies and souls." Ana said quietly. "No more. No less. We worked in a city center. We saw broken bodies and put them back together. That is what we did." She shrugged. "If that makes us enemies, then so be it. I cannot fight and I know the doctor will not fight. Causing harm is not what he does. Do what you will."

"Better the snake in the bush than in our hand." The Imam said quietly. "We cannot allow you to remain here."

"Will you kill us or let us go?" The doctor said with a small frown as Kerry moved to stand with Ana. "Kerry, stand away." Two of the shadows resolved into humans carrying old style rifles. They had them aimed at himself and Ana. "Move."

"This is not right." Kerry said weakly as she did what he said. "They haven't done anything."

"No?" The Imam's face was severe now. "Then why are you ready to protect her, Kerry? You were supposed to _watch_ her." Kerry stiffened and stared at Ana who remained impassive. "You had one job, girl."

"And she did it." Ana's quiet voice cut through the tension like knife. "She is sad, sick and grieving for her friend. But she doesn't need to." She laid a hand on Kerry's shoulder. Wait! How did she _see_ to do that? "Now."

The doctor jerked as small bangs sounded from all around. Wherever the bangs went, people fell over. Gas! But it wasn't affecting him! He tried to move, to run, to scream, to do something, but he couldn't. Kerry stood beside him, her face blank. The Imam was struggling with a mask as humans fell all around the area. Ana shook her head.

"That won't help, Imam Robinson." Ana said quietly as the Imam went still and then slowly fell. She caught him and laid him gently on the floor. She had to see to be able to do that! "But we _will_." She promised as the man's eyes closed. "We will not hurt anyone."

"What have you done?" The doctor managed as whatever held him loosened a little. When Ana looked at him, her eyes were glowing under the bandage. "Ana? What have you done?" He begged as dark, hulking forms in Advent armor appeared from all of the entryways. They held weapons ready, but none fired.

"She didn't." A human form in armor appeared nearby, the dark skinned man was shaking his head. "We did."

"Peter." Ana said quietly. "Good timing. Anyone hurt?"

"We are checking." Peter nodded to the soldiers who had fanned out. A smaller form stepped into view and the doctor hissed as he saw Valere! But her head was bandaged and her face was blank. Her movements were almost robotic, as if she was not in control of herself.

"What have you _done?_ " The doctor screamed.

"We didn't mean to shoot her." The dark skinned man named Peter said with a shake of his head. "We recovered her body as quickly as we could, but there was loss. We have transports waiting. The clinic is set and staffed." He said to Ana. "They can help him."

"I hope so." Ana took hold of Kerry's hand. "This one is special. She comes with us." She held out hand and Peter slapped something odd looking into it. A sponge? The doctor's eyes went huge as Ana laid whatever it was on Kerry's head and it spread to encompass the whole skull. Kerry jerked and then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. She was crying as Ana hefted her easily. "It is all right, girl. It is all right. No one will harm you, but you would have fought. There is no need. Easy now. Rest. I have you."

" _What have you done?_ " The doctor screamed the whole sentence this time.

"We need you back." Peter said as he stepped close, another of the odd things in his hand. "Rest doctor Cooper, when you wake, it will be all right."

Whatever was holding him shattered as the doctor threw his will against it. Peter recoiled and all of the Advent soldiers had weapons ready now, but Ana spoke up.

"Doctor! No!" Ana said quickly. "This is not what you think! We need your help and you need ours! These will not be harmed, doctor. None of them!"

"How long have you been lying to me, Ana?" Doctor Cooper retreated, eyes flashing from side to side He was surrounded, but… One doorway was not guarded. It led to the stream and nowhere else. He angled towards that. None of the soldiers moved, but Ana stiffened.

"Doctor, don't." Ana pleaded. "I couldn't say anything. Our lives were in danger in the prison and here, Doctor. I had to act. They were going to kill us!"

"So now you kill them." The doctor was in the door now and he could her the stream behind him. This part of it was deep and ran fast. It was only used for water, not bathing. It was too dangerous to bathe in. Who knew where or _if_ the underground water flow came out?

"We won't."Ana and Peter chorused. Ana continued. "Killing is far easier than helping. Look at Valere… She is alive. You couldn't save her here. We _did_."

"Did you?" The doctor snapped. "That is _not_ the girl I met. Who shot her?" He demanded.

"One of the soldiers thought she was armed as she had been when she found you." Peter said sadly. "She wasn't. We were moving to recover her and then the humans crept in and took her." He shook his head. "We _did_ help her. Doctor, please. Come home."

The dark skinned man held out a hand even as energy started to coruscate around Ana's. The doctor did not wait.

He turned and jumped.


	4. Chapter 4

**Traps**

He was silent and still in the pre-dawn air. His area of focus was still as a tomb. He hoped that wasn't a bad omen. The small house looked abandoned, but that meant nothing these days. Any human who wanted to stay out of Advent's clutches learned how to hide very quickly. He had heard tales, of course, Everyone had. Whispers of humans living on the fringe who refused to submit to Advent or the Elders. He hadn't believed it until he had met Valere and…

He bit back a sob and snarled at himself. He had almost given himself away! His stomach growled loudly and he snarled silently at that.

He wasn't a soldier, wasn't a fighter. He was a surgeon by trade. Oh, he knew all kinds of ways to hurt people but the will that was required to actually do so? He didn't think he had that. If the house was occupied, then he would leave them -whoever they were- be. He hoped and prayed that Kerry, the Imam and the others were safe, but if Ana had taken them, then Advent had them. If… If that man Peter hadn't been lying, then they would be well cared for. But for how long? How long would Advent continue to keep such dangerous fringe elements in lockup?

Why did that bother him? Something about locking beings up really bothered him. Was it because he himself had been imprisoned? No. It didn't feel personal, as it had been with him. He tried to focus on the feeling, but it flitted away from his grasp leaving him to sigh inaudibly.

He hadn't expected to survive jumping into the stream. Then again, he hadn't really thought it through. It wasn't a natural stream. The water had followed a man made tunnel and man made tunnels usually went from point A to point B fairly simply. He had been lucky though and there hadn't been any side tunnels or other passageways. He wasn't a very strong swimmer, but then again, the current had been far to strong to swim against so he had simply let it carry him away. He had struck his head on something he had never seen and when he had woken, he had been lying half in, half out of the water in a man made ditch.

Part of him expected Ana to appear at any moment. Maybe surrounded by Advent troops, maybe alone. Either way, he would run if he could. Whatever was going on, she was heavily involved in it. The fact that she and this Peter person had been working with Advent soldiers, maybe even _commanding_ them, was disconcerting. Had she been awake the whole time? What had she done to Kerry? And why had she said Kerry was 'special'? That bothered the doctor for a number of reasons, not the least of which because Kerry was so young. She wasn't the youngest of the children in that refuge, but she wasn't fully grown either.

He sighed. Aloud this time. He couldn't help Kerry. He could barely help himself. This forested world was as alien to him as the train tunnels had been and almost as dark at times. He was dirty, he was sure he smelled foul and he had made the intimate acquaintance of far more insects than he had ever wished to. This 'roughing it' was no fun at all. But if he approached other humans, either they would think him a traitor if they knew what had happened at the train station or he would put them in danger.

Was he a traitor? He didn't think so, but his mind was still a jumbled mess. What had Ana done to him? He was sure she had done _something_.

"Don't move." The cold female voice from nearby had the doctor freezing in place. He didn't move, didn't speak, just stayed frozen. The voice sounded amused now. "Well, for a man, you take orders well. I will give you that. What do think you are doing, spying on my house?"

"I didn't know it was occupied." The doctor said softly. "I will leave if you let me." A click sounded from behind him and he stilled the small movement he had started.

"You move, you die." The other said flatly.

"I cannot stay here." The doctor said reasonably. "Advent is hunting me and if I stay here long, they will find me. And you."

"Advent." The sheer hate in the other's voice shook the woman. "They will take my girls! Why are they hunting you?"

"I don't know." The doctor admitted. "But I bet they are tracking me even now." He paused and then blanched as a sound was heard in the distance. A familiar sound! An Advent transport! "No!"

"My girls!" The woman screamed and then she was running. The doctor spun and ran the other way, deeper into the forest. He heard shots behind him, and he ran faster. A thunderous explosion sounded but he did not pause. If Advent was tracking him somehow…

He paused and turned back. If they _were_ tracking him, running would do no good. If they were not? Maybe he could do something. He had no idea what? He was no soldier. He eased up to the top of a rise and peered over it. The small house was on fire and a dozen Advent bodies lay every which way around it. A human form lay half in, half out of the house, but there was no way the woman was alive. Not in as many pieces as she was in. He slumped and then stiffened as he saw small furred forms streaking out of the destroyed house and towards the brush. Cats? _Lots_ of cats. He lost count after twenty of them.

"That was… odd." He mused as he started off again. "Crazy cat lady? No. That is a myth. I think..." He shook his head as he started off, only to pause again. Something about the rear of the house was odd. He stared around, but there was no movement now. No further cats ran from the burning house. The fire seemed to be going out.

He made his way slowly down towards the house, ultra wary now. None of the Advent bodies were going to move again. Some had been shot, others seemed to have been killed by the explosion. But if it had come from the house, how did the cats survive? He shook his head. A mystery he did not have time to solve.

The shed was not actually connected to the house and was half buried in the ground. He went totally still as he heard whimpers from within. They sounded almost human?

"What the-?" Cooper examined the door, but it had a stout lock and was far beyond his ability to break down. He looked around and his eyes caught on the body of the woman. He hadn't seen her, but he assumed this was the woman who had ambushed him. He wasn't squeamish by nature, but she was a mess. He searched what he could of her pockets and found a key ring. He turned his back on the mess resolutely and marched to the shed. The fifth key fit the lock and he turned it.

But what met his eyes when he opened the door had him freezing in place. Cats. Cats everywhere. At least a dozen cats were scattered around the inside of the small shed. But that paled beside the man who lay on the floor clad in nothing but underwear. The man's eyes met the doctor's and his face held horror.

"Run!" The man said weakly. He had light skin, blonde hair and dark eyes. "She will get you too!"

"She is dead." The doctor said slowly as he stared at the scene. The man lay on the floor, his arms locked to the wall via chain. His legs were chained together too. He didn't seem hurt, just terrified. The cats did not move, simply eyed the doctor as if he were a meal.

"I don't believe it." The other replied. "The Cat Lady is not mortal! She gets shot and shows up again. She just doesn't die."

"I don't know if Advent killed her or she killed herself, but she is dead." The doctor replied. "Is it safe to enter?"

"I don't know." The man on the floor said softly. "They don't do anything but watch, but they are creepy as hell."

"Watch?" The doctor paused as the man shook his head.

"You do not want to know!" The other said quickly. "You _don't!_ " He said savagely when the doctor would have pressed. The doctor stared at him and then nodded slowly. He probably didn't.

"Let me see if one of these keys works." The doctor said with a nod as he took a careful step in. The cats did nothing, just sat there watching him. A quick check showed the man was in good health, if scared out of his mind. The third key for the lock on the chain and he started hunting for the one to unlock the leg cuffs. "How long have you been here?"

"No idea." The other replied. "I was hunting and something hit me. When I woke up, I was here." He rubbed his head. "The welt is gone, so it has been a while."

"Weren't you cold?" The doctor asked as he unlocked the leg cuffs and threw them away.

"That is why they are in here." The other said flatly, nodding to the cats. "She never let them out except at specific times. She feed them in here and they went over there." A large pile of cat dung sat in a corner. It didn't seem enough for this many cats and the man caught the doctor's appraising look. "Every so often, she would come in and clean it out. But… She stayed after. They warmed me. After."

"Oh." The doctor made a face and then shook his head. Humans were capable of all kinds of horrors. "I was looking for food."

"She was never short." The man was hunting around and exclaimed with joy as he found a sack containing clothing. "She let it here? Dang crazy woman!"

"That was from more than just you." The doctor said softly. The other man nodded.

"There have been stories about hunters disappearing in this area for years." The other paused. "I am Christian."

"Cooper." The doctor replied. "So she kills them and..." His mind shied away form the implications.

"Her cats were her only family." Christian said as he pulled on a pair of trousers. "No one else matters. I was just meat."

"Even as crazy as she was..." Cooper said slowly as Christian pulled on a shirt and started hunting for shoes. "That doesn't make sense. Why keep you here?"

"She probably wanted the meat fresh in addition to her 'toy'." Christian said flatly. He paused. "There was someone else though. A girl." He made a face. "Just a kid. But I..." He shook his head. "It isn't clear. Did she drug me?"

"I only saw her." Cooper said slowly. "But I better check the house, see if there is any food."

"I will come with you." Christian stepped over the cats which still did not move. "That is so creepy."

"No joke." Cooper stepped to the door and outside. Despite his fear, nothing else was heard or seen in the area. Christian whistled as he saw the Advent bodies.

"This is a full team." Christian said slowly. "They left her alone for years, maybe longer. Why now?"

"They are hunting me." Cooper admitted. Christian looked at him and Cooper shook his head. "I have no idea why they are doing so much. I did work for them once. I won't go back. They are evil. They shot a little girl and did something awful to her. I won't go back." He repeated.

"If they are hunting you, then I do not want to stay anywhere near you." Christian said with a sigh. "No offense."

"None taken." Cooper said with a grim smile. Then he stared at the house. The fires seemed to have gone out. "It was burning a lot and the cats were running away." Two cats were approaching the door now and when they crossed it, nothing happened. "I am going to check it out."

"I will wait right here. Well, close to here." Christian took a step and then kicked part of the woman's body away from himself into the forest. "Evil bitch!"

Cooper fought hard not to sigh as he stepped close to the door. Christian was badly traumatized by what he had endured. Small wonder if half of what Cooper suspected was true. Cooper wanted to help, but he knew he could not. He was in no position to do anything. He didn't know the man. He kept part of his attention on Christian as he walked to the door, but the other man did not move.

What met his eyes just inside the door was odd. The house was trashed, but it looked oddly thin. The cats were prowling, hissing as they shied away form smoking debris. But it looked _wrong_. As if the walls were not as thick as they were supposed to be. Furnishings lay every which way, many in pieces, but again, it was odd. The way they lay seemed to suggest the blast had come from inside. But it was the other thing that pulled his attention,. An interior wall had come down, showing another door that sat a few meters inside, a much stronger looking door. It did not seem to lead further into the house, instead to seemed to slant downward? The house was wood and brick, but thew other door was metal!

"This is weird." Cooper said slowly. Christian sidled up to him and froze as he stared in as well.

"That is _not_ a civilian door." Christian said with a snarl. "Some kind of _military_..." He bolted. "Run! Now!" Before the doctor could do more than turn, something hit him and he knew no more.

* * *

Later

"We lost Subject Seven, but got another prime specimen." A female voice sounded, bringing Cooper back up into consciousness. She sounded clinical, unemotional. "Pity about Savta, but the tom cats were a bit much."

"Status of the specimen?" Another female voice, younger. Also clinical sounding.

"Undamaged." The doctor gasped as something touched him in a very private place. "Subject is awake. Administer 2 milligrams and begin procedures."

The doctor tried to call out, but his mouth was filled with something. He tried to struggle, but he was strapped down. His mind went fuzzy and he could not resist as pretty colors danced in front of his eyes. But he could still hear. He groaned as pain seeped into his awareness from many places, some very inappropriate.

"Viable but not optimal." The first voice sounded disappointed. "Pity. He is pretty but not very strong. He would not last much longer than Subject Six did. Samples acquired. Shall we drop him or bag him?"

"Drop him. Point Four this time." The other replied. "The house is a loss, we need to blow that tunnel and set up another Cat Lady persona somewhere else. But for now?" A hand stroked his forehead. A very small hand. The voice turned stern. "Be glad we do not kill humans, whoever you are. You led them right to Savta." The woman said quietly. "From what you told her, it isn't likely your fault, but we cannot keep you here. For what it is worth? Thank you, you are helping to preserve the human race."

He faded to that odd message.

* * *

Still later

When Cooper woke, he was lying on a grassy knoll which overlooked a body of water. He wasn't sure which one. He had no idea where he was. He hurt in a number of places and when he investigated a few of them, he found sticky bandages on a few of the sites. Peeling one on his arm off, her stared at what had to be a tissue collection site. Someone had taken his flesh. But for what? A few of the wounds were weeping, but none were bleeding now. He touched his crotch and hissed as pain slammed through him. He jerked his hand away and shook his head. He bet they had taken tissue there as well. But why?

That house had been a trap. For who? He didn't know. The man he found should have been dead, especially of the woman had been really crazy. The house had been faked. The cats and the woman had been some kind of cover for something. He had no idea what. As he sat up, he noticed something sitting beside him. He saw a small pack that he did not recognize. He shook his head. Why wasn't he hungry anymore? What had the ones who had him done to him?

He opened the pack and stiffened as a note fell out. He took it gingerly and read.

"You will have many questions, but we cannot answer." The writing said. "You were starved when you arrived. We fed you. You told the woman that you were being hunted, so we moved you several dozen kilometers from where you were. You will find food, an old map and a compass in the bag. What you do now is up to you. For what it is worth, I wish you could have stayed. You were cute."

He flushed at that, unsure how to take such a compliment from someone he didn't know. That was all that was written. And indeed, when he looked, he found three plastic bags marked MRE in the pack. He also found a small folding compass and a map. The map was not very detailed, but if it was the same place as he was now, as he could see a fallen down lighthouse in the stance that matched one on the map, then he was near the Mediterranean Sea.

"This is..." The doctor shook hos had. If the map was to be believed he was halfway around the planet from where his clinic had been. New Providence had been in the former US and he was apparently standing in what had once been Lebanon. Those crazy dissidents who had imprisoned him had done it halfway around the world.

"Oh dear."


	5. Chapter 5

**Bending**

He was stuck.

He had no way of knowing where he was exactly. While he did have some food in the pack, it wasn't much. Maybe a week's worth if he spaced it out carefully. Maybe. He was in a part of the world he had no idea about the current status of, had no clue if he even spoke the same languages and knew that it had once been one of the bloodiest places on _Earth_.

Even a cursory study of human history always mentioned the Middle East. Even the most apolitical and strictly neutral works would have to touch on the long and sordid mess that had engulfed the entire area from as far back as humans had written records. His own education had focused on medicine, but with all of the conflicts there, a lot of medical advances had been spurred by conflict. Even one such as him had heard of the Crusades and the many, many religious conflicts that had erupted since then.

He wasn't too proud to say he was scared.

He remembered someone saying that this area had resisted Unification strongly. If the residents realized he had worked for Advent, his life would likely be painful and short. Was that why Ana had done what she had at the train station? To save his life? That didn't make a lot of sense. Even now, her causal display of otherworldly power frightened him just in his memory. The way Advent troops had done her bidding and the dark skinned man's had also been wrong on so many levels.

No matter what, it was highly unlikely that a tiny thing like an alien invasion could curb the wrath of zealots on all sides who wanted blood. This area was almost certainly still a war zone. The lack of visible signs of humans was not a comforting thing. Humans had always been good at hiding and then striking when least expected. The house had been a trap. Thinking back, the people who had been behind that door had been professionals. They hadn't hurt him even when they could have, easily. He wasn't going to try and find that house again or those people. That was a very bad idea. If they had rigged the house to explode in case of Advent assault then they had few scruples. They likely would have even fewer about murdering one unarmed doctor who proved too nosy.

That still did not explain why Christian had been alive or in that shed but the doctor shook his head. He likely wouldn't get an answer to that mystery. He sighed. He needed to move or Advent would find him. He had to… He paused.

 _Why_ was he running from Advent?

He wasn't an enemy of Advent. He had _worked_ for them for goodness sake. So… why…?

He screamed as agony tore through his head. He barely felt the ground as he hit it and writhed. He was aware that he had soiled himself, wet himself, but it made no difference as the pain slammed through him.

"Oh no." A soft, sad voice sounded through his pain and warm hands touched the doctor as he cried. She was familiar, but not. "Oh, Doctor. I am sorry. She hurt you. She doesn't know any better, but the others...They did something else. Come on..." The woman crooned as a straw found his lips. "You need to drink. I probably won't be here when you wake, but you need to drink."

He drank gratefully. It wasn't water, it was familiar. A fairly Advent common energy booster and restorative fluid, with electrolytes. He wasn't sure which kind, but it tasted far too salty to be the normal. He was sobbing in relief as the pain in his skull faded.

"We cannot help him." The female voice said sadly. "Can anyone?"

"We do not know what they did to him." Ana! That was _Ana!_ Who was covering him with a blanket? Why was he shivering now? "Without more information, High Command is torn between leaving him out here to perish or bringing him in and dissecting him. If he were fully cogent, he would be running from us. Bloody butchers!"

"We can't just _leave_ him here, Ana!" The other said flatly. "He will perish. He nearly did before. If he had been _in_ that house when it blew..." The fear in her voice cut deep. He did know her. But from where?

"High Command won't help." Ana said quietly. "The loss of an entire pod to one woman with a horde of cats was disconcerting. Add to that, whatever was done to him. Peter can do almost everything the doctor can. That is enough for them."

"Peter's alterations will not last." The other said slowly. "We need _him_ back and functional."

"I know." Ana sighed as a hand rubbed Cooper's forehead, wiping sweat off it. "Thing is, the only ones who know what was done to him… They will kill him if they get him again."

"I can help him." The other said quietly. Ana hissed as hands cupped the sides of Cooper's had.

"Mara! _No_!" Ana said quickly. "You do not know what they did. None of us have the power or skill of an Elder and none of _them_ are available. I asked. More than likely, you will hurt or kill yourself or him. Not help. Mara, _think!_ "

"I don't care!" The other -Mara- exclaimed. "He saved me. I have to at least _try_ to save him!"

That was the only warning he had before his world suddenly shifted.

* * *

He was walking through brightly lit corridors. He nodded to coworkers in white and orange, their faces alive with curiosity and concern as he moved towards his latest patient. She lay on the bed, her face covered by the apparatus that breathed for her, moderating her oxygen intake while providing access to her stomach. She was properly retrained to the table. He turned to his assistant. Ana nodded to him.

"Is it done?" His tone was clinical, but held worry deep down. This girl was badly hurt. A deep burn had scoured her upper left arm all the way to the bone. If not for Advent medical wizardry, she would have perished from the shock of that injury alone. As it was, she was very fragile and this needed to be done quickly. What was worse was what had _caused_ the burn, but that was for later.

"Her stomach has been pumped. The first stage of the burn treatment has been done." Ana reported as she slid into a set of surgical scrubs that an assistant held for her. The man's eyes were wary, but he said nothing as the doctor looked at him. The doctor focused on his patient.

"Poor kid." The doctor turned and nodded to his own assistant who held out a smock for him. He slid into it and turned to put his gloves on. Then the mask was tied in place for him. Less chance of any bacteria getting past the technology, which even for Advent, wasn't perfect. "Did we ever get a name?"

"Mara." Ana said sadly. "Her name is Mara. I managed that much when she woke. But she fought the straps and I had to put her out. She has a sister named Kristen, but she doesn't know where that one is. One thing..." Ana paused and spoke very softly. "She thinks her sister is affiliated with the dissidents."

"Oh, _that_ won't go over well with HQ." The doctor sighed as he readied his machinery. "Let's get her ready for her new life and maybe they will leave her alone long enough for us to heal her."

The ear probes went in smoothly and he breathed sigh of relief as the unconscious girl did not react. Some humans reacted very badly to having objects shoved into their ears, even ones designed not to cause disruption. She couldn't physically barf on him as other patients had, but it would hurt her to convulse in the straps. There had to be a gentler way. He would find it. Some of Advent's soldiers could use psionic energy to do what he was now, but their methods were brutal, intended for a battlefield. His were far more subtle. For him, this was a much art as science. He couldn't explain how he knew which clusters in her mind to hit with the specialized energy he had discovered to scour the spotted chemical markers clean as he mapped the brain in its entirety. He simply knew it worked when he did it. He didn't want her a vegetable, he just wanted her a little confused. It was far easier to guide her to her new life that way.

The girl moaned softly into the tube in her throat and the doctor frowned. He looked at Ana and she nodded, focusing on the medication apparatus.

"Sedative is still flowing. She is not awake." Ana said quietly. "But she is aware on some level. Doctor..."

"We have begun." The doctor said flatly. "If we stop now, she will be a mess at best." He touched his foot controls -his hands were gloved and he did not want to risk his sterile status- and an electromagnetic system hummed to life under her head. The girl sighed and relaxed. "The somatic unit will keep her higher brain impulses curbed for the moment but we cannot keep it on for long or she will lose said higher brain function."

"She shouldn't have woken." Ana said carefully. "The pain in her arm?"

"Entirely possible." Doctor Cooper replied as he focused on his work again. After a time he moved back. "There. Preliminary work is done. Tend her arm while I get the rest set up."

Ana nodded and started working the equipment to heal the horrid burn on Mara's arm. While she focused on that, Doctor Cooper readied his own gear. Trained hands made the procedure quick and simple. Tubes went into both femoral arteries. The blood channels on the legs were far larger than almost anywhere else on the human body, providing complete access to her entire circulatory system. The machinery would keep her blood clean and flowing even if her heart stopped. Now for the most important part.

"How is her arm?" Doctor Cooper asked as he pulled back for a moment. A nurse stepped up to mope the sweat from his brow and he nodded his thanks to her. He couldn't do it while gloved and it itched abominably.

"She lost some muscle mass." Ana replied. "But with therapy, she should recover." She finished sealing the wound and Doctor Cooper nodded.

"Okay." Cooper took a deep breath. "I am shutting the somatic unit off… now." He tapped the foot control and the hum died. The girl slept on, but her face was screwed up in a rictus of fear. "Poor kid."

"I am ready, doctor." Ana held up the cervical collar and Doctor Cooper nodded to her. He held the sleeping girl's head in careful hands while Ana slid the collar underneath her and then tightened it in place. It would be very uncomfortable, but the _last_ thing they needed for this step was the girl moving at all. The doctor made a gesture and Ana nodded. She hit a control on the table and the whole table slowly rotated until Mara was face down.

The girl's dark hair was in the way and Doctor Cooper frowned. A nurse stepped up, portable clippers in hand and he stepped back ass the nurse quickly and efficiently shaved the back of Mara's skull. A quick wipe with a sterile towel and the nurse nodded to the doctor and stepped away, leaving a gleaming surface.

'Thank you." Doctor Cooper said with a smile that was wasted through his mask. The nurse nodded but remained silent. Ana was already marking the area of incision and the doctor picked up his tools. This would be messy and delicate, but it was his job. He wouldn't hurt this girl any more than was absolutely needed. "Ana, place the chip while I focus on the personality center."

And did not react, simply started working. He liked that about her. She was all work when it mattered. They could save this girl. They _were_ saving this girl from a life of pain and fear. Despite some of his colleague's misgivings about the chips, they were incredibly useful. They allowed for instantaneous identification as well as access to medical files for any Advent medical personnel who might need them. The tracking was necessary as well. If this girl fell somewhere and hit her head, she could be hours delayed getting to medical care. Some head injuries could not be treated after a set time even with Advent tech, so it simply made sense to keep track of the citizens of the city centers. That it also helped to keep violence down and the dissidents in check was a bonus.

While Ana opened the girl's skull, the doctor readied his syringe. As soon as the grey matter was exposed the doctor started slowly sliding the needle of the syringe into the girl's brain. It was a delicate task, angling to impact the right place without causing any major damage to surrounding tissue. Even with the blunt tip, it was entirely possible to tear things in the incredibly fragile brain matter. His eyes flicked from the opening in the girl's skull to a scanner image nearby. On it, the point of his needle was inching closer to a marked position in the girl's personality core.

He paused as a web of brain matter blocked his way for a moment. Then he twisted slightly to pass it by, barely noticing Ana placing the chip well away from his own work. She didn't jar him at all. She was good. A far cry from the broken, sobbing mess he had first been presented with. He glanced at Ana and she nodded as she finished her work and removed her tool, backing away to give the doctor space. He nodded to her and focused again.

In just a few minutes, he had the tip in place and slowly started to press the plunger home. He always loaded his own syringes and a good thing too. Any alterations that jarred the patient could be catastrophic at this time. He had learned that the hard way. But this time, there were no problems. The substance in the syringe spread out as designed and he smiled as it took on the shape he had planned. The sponge was forming from the goo he had readied. It wasn't a harsh metallic device like the chip that the brain would see as an intruder and send white blood cells to attack. No, this sponge had been made with Mara's own DNA and it was designed for one thing and one thing only. Every time she got upset, the sponge would read the chemicals in her brain that were caused by such emotion and it would secrete a substance that would act as a mild soporific, calming the girl gently. Naturally. No drugs, no psionic hammers. No brutality. Simple, clean, efficient, gentle.

It would not last forever. Nothing _did_. But it would help with the next phases, which would not take place in a surgical ward. She would need the calm when she woke to her new life.

"And done." Doctor Cooper relaxed as he withdrew the needle gently from Mara's brain. "She will wake in a few hours with a headache. I assume security wants to talk to her."

"Yes. Doctor." Ana said as she stepped forward to close the wound carefully. Even with Advent technology, it was entirely possible to get infections. Humans simply could not help being baths of bacteria. They could probably stop such a thing in the hospital, but better safe than sorry.

"Put her in Recovery Three." The doctor said with a small frown. "I will talk to security." Ana nodded and started rotating the table again to prepare the girl for transport. The doctor turned and then froze as he saw someone in the surgical ward who did not belong. The man wasn't masked! "Speak of the devil and he appears. Agent Gorn." The doctors spoke in a dangerous voice. "What have I told you about sneaking into the operating room?"

"Not to." The red uniformed Advent security man said with a nod. He was obviously former human military from his haircut and bearing. What was worse? He set off every hackle the doctor possessed as well as some hadn't known he had. The man was scum. "But this is important. The girl's sister is a known dissident. A fairly high ranked one."

"And if you _kill_ the girl, that helps you… _how_?" Doctor Cooper demanded as he stalked for the door. "Out. Now." He paused at the door, the agent wasn't moving. "Do I need to call your boss again?"

He had done just that before. Called Advent HQ when Gorn had refused to leave the operating room during a procedure. It had not been pleasant for _anyone_ when a Sectoid had shown up in the middle of the operating theater to drag Gorn away but the look on the goon's face had been _priceless_.

"Doctor." The agent sighed as he moved to leave the room. "Your concern for terrestrial disease is unfounded." He shrugged. "Advent technology..." The doctor interrupted him.

"Is not _perfect_ or there wouldn't _be_ a problem with dissidents, now _would_ there?" The doctor snapped, patience fled. "Out! NOW!" This last was a growl. "You are _not_ doing the interrogation. _You_ have the tact of an out of control cargo loader. We want this girl functional, not _destroyed_."

 _That we do._ An inaudible voice answered the doctor and he froze as a robed form stepped into view. Or hovered. He wasn't sure if Elders _had_ feet. He tried to stop that thought but the robed alien actually chuckled. _We do have feet, doctor, but our appearance bothers many, so we mask ourselves._

"Elder." Doctor Cooper bowed. "You honor our facility."

 _None here will remember this visit._ The alien said as it strode up to Cooper and reached out with a slow hand to touch his head. _We are not actually present in our physical form. But the unfettered mind has few limitations. Yours even fewer than most._ Cooper did not know what to say to that, so he remained silent. _We strive, as always to bring peace to your world. Your work is exemplary and will help a great deal._

 _We will handle the interrogation and we promise the girl will be functional after._


	6. Chapter 6

**Functional**

Doctor Cooper woke to an unfamiliar feeling. Someone was washing his face. He jerked and Mara's voice sounded.

"I am sorry. I didn't know what I was doing." She sounded so abject, his heart went out to her. "I thought I had hurt you."

"I remembered helping you." Cooper said as he opened his eyes. He looked around, but Mara was alone, sitting beside him. He was still a mess, but the wet towel in her hands showed she had been trying to clean him. "Mara, you shouldn't be here."

"And you _should_?" Mara asked reasonably as she handed him the towel. "Doctor, you will die out here alone."

"And if _you_ die with me, how does that help anything?" He asked. Mara would not meet his eyes and he shook his head. "Mara, this is not rational. We have discussed this."

Whatever she had done, he remembered more now. He hadn't remembered the Elder's visit until now. The Elder had come, done the interrogation quickly and was gone minutes afterward. Gorn had been incredibly unhappy to learn that not only had Mara not known where her sister was, she hadn't parted with Kristen on good terms. Then the Elder had flatly denied the security agent's request to use the girl as bait in a trap. Mara had been remanded into the doctor's care and he had done everything he could to ease her into her new life. Indeed, she had flourished in a world where she hadn't had to fight for every scrap and fear every shadow. He was proud of her.

She hadn't been with him and Ana when they had been taken. For that? He was devoutly grateful. He still didn't remember that day clearly and he figured that a good thing.

"I know." Mara said quietly. "It is not infatuation anymore, doctor." Mara said with a frown as her eyes turned inward. "I was irrational when I woke. You kept me calm. I did feel attracted to you when I finally accepted my life." She made a face. "That too was irrational and a natural rebound of emotions. But this… I cannot do what Ana and Peter can. I am not a physician."

"Neither were they." Doctor Cooper said mildly as he sat up, grimacing at how his body felt. "You could learn and learn swiftly. It isn't that hard although mastering the skills takes a lifetime."

"I am not a physician, doctor." Mara replied. "I am not really a secretary, although I _am_ good at that." Justified pride sang in her words and Cooper smiled at her. She was far more than a pretty face, she was smart. She had his office humming with efficiency when she was working.

"Mara." Cooper warned. "Don't."

"You know what I did for most of my life even if I don't remember anything from being caught to waking in your care. I hid. I scavenged. I stole. I got caught by Advent stealing from one of their depots." Shame sounded in Mara's voice now and he reached out to touch her hand. It was shaking. "Ana and Peter cannot help you in this. I _can_."

"And if the _dissidents_ find us?" Copper asked carefully. Mara's face blanked and he continued. "I remember some of what they asked me now." Mara hissed but the doctor continued. "They think I brainwashed you, Mara and perhaps there is some truth in that. I _did_ turn you away from your old life. Gently but _completely_."

"What you did saved my _life_." Mara stared at the ground. "Advent security would have killed me. Either in interrogating me or when I tried to escape. I would have. I don't remember doing that, but I would have."

"I am pretty sure that is how you were shot by Advent troops, Mara." Cooper hadn't ever spoken that suspicion before. But it did make sense.. "Security wouldn't tell me what happened. Just that you had been hurt. But Advent plasma weapon burns are fairly distinctive. Even at their worst, they wouldn't shoot someone without cause. Attempting escape from lawful arrest is cause." Mara nodded. "I did what I could. You took some convincing."

Mara had to chuckle at his dry tone. She had. When she had woken, she had started spouting invective at everyone in two languages. She had managed that for five minutes before the first trickle of the calming agent had hit her brain. Even then, she had fought it, trying to resist, trying to keep from relaxing. Eventually, she had worn down, relaxed and let the doctor talk to her. It hadn't been easy but in less than a week, she had left the bed and he had gained another helper.

"I did." Mara admitted. "Doctor, I can help you. This is not a land like my home, but I survived where many others did not. I know what to do and how. And what _not_ to do. I would have run from that house as fast as I could have." She shivered a little. "Crazy cat ladies are _never_ a good thing. I knew there was something wrong the moment I saw the place."

"It was more than that." Cooper shivered as well. "There was a door inside. A big, metal door. It wasn't a civilian door." He shook his head. He rubbed his arm and Mara's eyes lit on the sticky bandage that had been applied to it. "Someone knocked me out and took tissue samples. Then I woke up here."

"And then you went into convulsions." Mara asked. "We were watching, but they refused to let us get close until Ana pulled rank."

"Watching? From _where_?" Cooper demanded. "And how are they tracking me?"

"Don't look up." Mara said quietly. Cooper went totally still and Mara nodded. "You won't see it anyway. It is two kilometers up and well camouflaged. I don't know how security is tracking you, but they _are_." This last was sour.

"Gorn?" Cooper asked slowly. That agent had never forgiven him for being snubbed in front of an Elder.

"Gorn." Mara agreed, her own face twisting into a grimace. She liked him about as much as Cooper did, for much the same reasons. The agent had been forbidden using Mara as bait, but he always came back around, with one more question. The fact that Mara always answered as completely and honestly as she could was irrelevant. She had information, he wanted it. The fact that he got to hurt her psychologically was a bonus.

"I always knew Advent had bad people working with the good." Cooper said with a sigh. "But _that_ one really turns my stomach."

"Me too." Mara said with a frown. "He came again after you and Ana were taken, asked if I would 'help' him trap my sister. He said it would 'help' you." She made air quotes around both uses of the word 'help'. Cooper stared at her in horror and she shook her head. "I knew he was lying. I reported him. He left upset."

"Good girl." Cooper reached out and patted her arm. She smiled at him. For just a moment, she was that fragile little girl he had helped and he was the one who had helped her. "And… the clinic?"

With both him and Ana both gone, Peter would have been swamped with the demand for service. The man could make the sponges. Both he and Ana had been trained to do that and it was fairly easy with a sample of DNA. There was no _way_ he would be able to implant them safely. Ana might be able to, Peter couldn't. He was a good counselor, but his hands just were not steady enough to put the sponges in. He would hurt or kill anyone he tried to help that way. Even Advent technology had difficulty when it came to navigating inside human brains without harming them. What Cooper did was more art than science and some thought he might have a touch of psionic ability. It might be true but it wasn't anything anyone had ever been able to measure. He hadn't known Ana had the ability. Or Mara.

"Shut down." Mara said sadly. "So many people we can help, but Peter simply cannot handle it. He doesn't want to hurt anyone and he would. The sponges work for a time when applied to bare flesh, but it doesn't last." Cooper had expected that, but he still slumped.

"So… you, Peter and Ana...are _here_?" Cooper asked. Mara nodded. "And they let you come?"

"If there was even a chance of recovering you and Ana, we had to take it." Mara said flatly. "Advent HQ agreed. Especially when Ana made contact psionically. I didn't know she could do that." Mara admitted.

"Neither did I. Desperation can be a hell of a motivator though. You tried to recover us both at the train station." Cooper sighed. "And I ran."

"The dissidents _programmed_ you to." Mara's voice held anger now. "Those evil scum programmed you to run from the only ones who could possibly help you. But not from me." Cooper eyed her and Mara flushed. "What?"

"You are not going to leave me, are you?" Mara shook her head silently and Cooper sighed again. "Stubborn girl."

"I learned from the best." Butter might not have melted in Mara's mouth.

Cooper had to laugh at that. Then he gave in. He didn't want to be alone. He stared down at his filthy trousers and winced.

"Plenty of water that way." Mara waved towards the ocean. Cooper stared at her, disbelieving and she shook her head. "We are far enough from any ruins that it should be safe for a quick dip. Go on." She made a shooing gesture. "I won't watch. Much." She smiled widely as Cooper blushed.

"You are evil, Mara."

"Duh. I hang around _you!_ "

* * *

About half an hour later

He felt much better even having to scrape the salt off. The sun was bright enough that his clothes dried quickly. He had taken his boots and socks off but the rest had been crusted. He had gone into the water before pulling his pants off and swiping them around to clean the muck off. A toss and they landed in a heap. Mara had scowled, strode to where they had landed and unrolled them to dry evenly. She had made a gesture and he had flushed, but tossed his underwear to her after swiping them around in the water. She laid them out with his pants before turning and going back to where two packs lay. She had apparently come prepared.

He pulled his clothing on and then walked towards where Mara was still sitting. She was smiling as she glanced slyly at him.

"Enjoy the view?" Cooper asked with a scowl.

"I _did_." Mara snickered at his expression.

It was impossible to stay angry with her. She was so bright and cheerful that it was hard to remember that she had once been a sullen ball of rage. He couldn't blame her for feeling as she had. He supposed he couldn't even blame the dissidents for their actions. The coming of the aliens might have been the best thing to happen for humanity in its history, but the actual _events_ leading up to Unification had been bloody in the extreme. No one knew how many humans had died when the Elders had unleashed their armies. He didn't like what the dissidents _did_ , but he did understand their mindset. Earth had been conquered. They were fighting back. However pointless their struggles might be, it was very human to rail against the unstoppable. They would be eradicated eventually, but hopefully most would be captured so that people like Cooper could help them to see a better future.

It did hurt at times, being called 'traitor' or 'alien lover' by the narrow minded. But Cooper knew that what he was doing was important. He was helping people and that was his whole point in life. He had been a doctor prior to unification to help people, When Advent had approached him to help in the city centers they were building to replace the bombed out ruins of Earth's former metropolises, he had been leery at first, but it had proven a good choice. His skills had been needed and he had possessed enough time to research. To plan. To put into motion a way to help the worst of humanity become better. A few harsh words here and there could not eclipse that success.

"So..." Cooper gave himself a shake. "Where to, oh native guide?"

"I am not a native of _this_ area." Mara replied as she rose and slung her pack. "But I have looked at recent satellite maps. There are clusters of heat sources both North and South as well as radiation hot spots that we will have to avoid."

"Radiation?" Cooper asked with distaste.

"I asked the Advent commander who was assigned to us. It said that humans nuked several cities in this area during the war." Mara made a face as well. "But it also said none of the Elders' troops were anywhere nearby at the time."

"There _were_ lots of people in this area who hated one another." Cooper replied with a frown. "But that _does_ seem excessive."

"North and South both run the risk of running into humans who might think we are Advent or might just kill us for the clothes on our backs." Mara said with a small frown. "West..." She nodded to the ocean. "Fancy a swim home?"

It was at _least_ eight thousand kilometers from the Mediterranean coast to the shore of what had been North America. Not to mention some of what lived in the ocean now. Cooper had seen video of a specimen of a shark with squid's arms that had been caught in a fisherman's net off the West Coast. He had _no_ intention of meeting one in person. Even a regular shark would be bad enough news.

"Funny, Mara. Very funny." But Cooper was smiling. "East it is. But you said there is radiation?"

"None within a few days walk." Mara said with confidence as she pulled a map out of a pocket and looked at it. It was far newer and cleaner than the map the doctor had been given. "I marked the ones within walking distance on the map." She showed him the map and it did have several large red circles with X's inside. "I also looked for landmarks. Most of the sites are city ruins, so if we avoid such, we should be fine."

"And supplies?" Cooper asked as Mara started off. "What we have won't last forever."

"You will run from Advent." Mara said quietly. "I won't. They will drop supplies if we need them. As long as you stay back, they hand them to me, and it is all good."

"And how will they know if we need them?" Mara looked at him and her eyes flashed purple. "Oh."

"Yeah." Mara slumped a bit as she walked. "You know the sponge you put in my brain? It was -is- psycho-reactive."

"And?" Cooper asked and then froze in mid-step as a horrible thought occurred. "No..." He breathed. "I _didn't_!" If he had short-circuited Mara and Ana's _brains_...

"Doctor, it is nothing bad." Mara was quick to reassure him. "You didn't hurt me. You didn't hurt Ana or Peter. You helped us all. You unlocked a potential, that is all. You have helped others." She slumped a bit. "You were on your way to help someone special when the dissidents took you."

"I don't remember that." Cooper said weakly.

"Advent captured a dissident alive and almost intact." Mara said quietly. "She had been knocked unconscious by some kind of aberration. No one knows where it or the two like it came from or why, but they hate the dissidents more than anyone else. You and Ana were called in to do an evaluation after she proved highly resistant to everything up to and including mind probes." She slumped a bit. "You never made it to the holding facility. They found your car, the escorts dead. You and Ana were gone."

"And the dissident?" Cooper asked.

"She disappeared out of lockup two days later." Mara said with a sigh. "I didn't have clearance, but I needed to know. I asked to see her picture, no more. I thought it might be Kristen. It wasn't. My sister was here. With you. Hurting you both. They asked if Peter could help with that woman and we did some research, but then they told us not to bother when we inquired further."

"How the hell did she get out of that kind of lockup?" Cooper demanded. He had _seen_ Advent high security cells. They _defined_ impossible to get out of.

"She didn't. I think her friends broke her out." Mara shook her head. "I heard rumor about another prisoner who vanished at the same time. A cleaning crew was sent and they gossiped about lots of blood all over the area before security hushed them. They said none of it was human."

"Yeah." Cooper mused."If security _did_ lose her, then they are not going to want _anyone_ to know. And if they lost someone _else_ at the same time? Ouch. Someone is going to lose their _job_."

"Not our problem." Mara said as she turned up a ravine. Cooper followed as she led the way into a forest. "We have enough problems to go around as it is. We need to figure out how to get that programming out of your head so we can get you back and healed."

"Mara, it may not be possible." Cooper cautioned. "The mind is a very tricky thing. Even psionics have limits. Even the _Elders_ have limits." Mara glanced at him but did not reply.

In many places such might have been considered heresy or blasphemy, but Cooper knew more about how the mind worked than any three psychologists. For him, it was simple fact. He was puffing a bit as Mara slowed to a stop near the top of a rise. She crouched down near a fallen tree and peered over the top for a moment before standing slowly. Then she waved him forward. He moved to stand beside her and stared out across a landscape that was slowly being reclaimed by nature. It had once been a small town, but now? It was falling apart. He looked at Mara who nodded.

"Probably safe enough." She said after a moment of looking. "No sign of humans at all. At the very least, they would have put up graffiti." Cooper made a face, but he had to admit that was pretty standard human behavior. Marking territory was very human.

Cooper took a step and then coughed in surprise as Mara threw herself at him, knocking him off his feet. He landed on his side, her smaller body covering his. He stared at her, but _she_ was looking _up_! His gaze followed hers and he went still as something sort of familiar fell from the sky. It hit with a thunderous crash but when he looked, it seemed intact.

An Advent cargo ship? What had happened?

He went even more still as a large disk shaped thing hovered into view and something fell from it to hit the ground nearby. Cooper started to get up, but Mara hissed in his ear.

"Don't _move!_ We are in in _big_ trouble! That _isn't_ an _Advent_ ship!"

Cooper stared at the side of the cargo ship and his guts turned to ice as he saw the pentagon symbol of the dissidents along with their motto. Whatever the hell 'Vigilo Confido' meant. It wasn't any Latin _he_ knew.

 _Oh shit!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Bystanding**

Cooper lay stunned as Mara looked from side to side. The huge ship was not taking off again. Indeed, there were four _things_ unfolding from a ramp that had extended down. Things that looked _far_ too much like Advent automated security turrets to be comfortable looking at. He had never seen Advent turrets fire, but he had heard stories. If only _half_ of what he had heard about such turrets was true, those things could shred any reasonable sized assault force all by themselves. But there had to be a lot of dissidents in that ship.

"I didn't know they had a _ship_." Cooper was tensed, but to do what? Mara gave his arm a squeeze. Not a gentle one either. Her could feel her heat beating right through her chest as she lay on top of him. She was terrified. She had _cause_.

"Don't move." She hissed in his ear. "They are not taking off again. I bet they _can't_. Either that alien ship or whatever the hell it dropped is keeping them from taking off. Advent's security grid just went _nuts_. Ana's transport is being shunted away and she is _not_ happy about it."

"You can talk to her?" Cooper asked.

"Um, no. Not from here." Mara made a face. "I can send her emotions, but I need to be a lot closer to talk to her. To actually see her. She can see _us_ though on the transport scanners so she can talk to _me_ and she is _not_ happy at all about this."

"Neither am _I_." Cooper admitted, staring down as human shaped forms started running down the ramp to take positions near the base of it. "I um… This is going to be a battle, isn't it?"

"A _short_ one. Ana says her transport is tracking half a hundred troop carriers converging on this location." Mara said quietly. "With more on the way."

"Can we… back up?" Cooper asked. "I mean, if we can see them, _they_ can see _us_. And _they_ have guns."

"They will see and target any fast movement so, we can… No!" Mara hissed as two forms hurried from the ramp and started running up the hill that Mara and Cooper lay on top of. "No. No. _No!_ " She was muttering. "Go _away_! Not _this_ way, you idiots. Go _away_."

Her hoarse whispers had no effect and the two forms resolved into a man and woman, both wearing some kind of odd plated armor. Neither wore helmets and the man had a spiky haircut that Cooper thought had once been called a 'Mohawk'. The woman wore some kind of gas mask. It didn't look like it would work against modern chemical weapons. The man carried a heavy looking rife and the woman something that was far longer and thinner. It looked far too sleek and high tech to be in dissident hands. It had a box shaped thing on top of it. Some kind of sniper weapon? She lay down, her weapon aimed down the hill as the man took up position behind and beside her, his own weapon tracking from side to side. He didn't see Mara and Cooper where they lay, but if they moved? He would. He likely wouldn't react well.

"Don't move." Mara murmured into Cooper's ear. "Don't do anything at all. If they see us, the _best_ that can happen is that they will kill us. If they _take_ us..." She shivered and Cooper shared it. Once in a dissident prison had been _more_ than enough.

"Advent?" Cooper muttered just as softly.

"Ana says that anything human that moves on the battlefield will be a target." Mara replied. "They won't know who we are or care."

"Wonderful." Cooper said with a soft snarl as he stared out at the unfolding scene. Then he went totally still as the armored man in front of him spun and stared at him, rifle aimed. Not near him, _at_ him. Mara whimpered, but Cooper slowly held up empty hands.

"Freeze." The man's gravelly voice snapped. He took one hand off his rifle and tapped the side of his helmet. "Heat sources identified. Central. Civilians. Unarmed. Orders? What? They are-? _Now_? You gotta be- Okay. Yes sir." He nodded slowly and spoke to Cooper. "Move. Now. Down the hill!" He nodded back the way he had come. Towards the ship!

"You cannot be _serious!_ " Cooper said savagely. To the ship that was under attack?

"This place is going to be _crawling_ with Advent in less than a _minute!_ " The other snapped. "We are offering you a way out, but it is a one time, _limited time_ deal."

"You have no idea..." Cooper started, only to be cut off.

"Smile! You are on Candid Camera. You are Cooper, she is Mara." The man snapped. Mara gave a tiny cry of fear, but Cooper didn't move. "Both of you are in _deep shit._ With us _and_ with Advent."

" _Advent_ didn't _torture_ me." Cooper said softly. "And I never hurt anyone if I could help it."

"No, but Advent _will_ kill you to keep you out of our hands." The man retorted. Whatever he was going to say next was cut off when the woman spoke. Her tone was clipped, unemotional.

"Eyes on. Three, no, four pods moving towards the ramp. Classic pincer. Roger, Commander. Targeting officer." Her weapon hummed and Cooper jumped as bright line of green energy traced from it to the distance where a scream cut off suddenly. "Shogun, get me eyes on that disruptor thing and I can take it out from here." She muttered. "Mechs, two turning this way. Get your ass down, Marker!"

Still unemotional. She was as terrifying as her weapon. It spit green fire again and something exploded in the distance. Now, the entire line of humans down below was firing a motley of weapons, but it was not one sided as Advent troops appeared out of the wood line near the ship. Cooper saw two humans fall and not rise. Another woman was hit by two different railguns and fell, but incredibly, she was _still_ firing even some kind of multibarrel _thing_ as one of her allies pulled her back into cover. And… Were those _mechs_ that were now firing from the dissident's side? How the _hell_?

"INCOMING!" The man -Marker?- shouted and Cooper's world lit up. Then it went black.

Cooper swam back into consciousness aware of pain and oddness. He was hanging on someone's shoulder as the other ran. He fought to control his stomach, the ride was incredibly rough.

"Hollywood, grab the girl and let's _go_!" The man from before shouted as Advent railgun rounds tore through the area all around him. He was running down the hill with Cooper over his shoulder! "You got the thing. Let's get _out_ of here!"

"Not without Shogun." The woman said in a clinical tone. "She is still out there and there are Chryssalids all over the place." Her weapon fired again.

"The Colonel can take care of _herself_! _We_ are in trouble!" The man grunted and fell to one knee. "I..." He gasped and Cooper was falling.

He hit the ground hard and was stunned as hands reached for him. He was suddenly hefted again and he saw the man who had been carrying him lying still on the ground, blood pooling. He wasn't going to rise, not with the holes in him that Cooper could see. Whoever had him now ran into a large room filled with people. He was laid on a hard surface, metal from the feel.

"Bridge! All survivors inboard. Go! Go! Go!" A shout came from somewhere and the room shuddered. Was the ship lifting off? How? Cooper was too dazed to ask.

But then, his attention was drawn to closer things.

"What the hell?" A _very_ familiar female voice sounded from nearby. A hated voice. "MARA!" The voice of Cooper's tormentor screamed close at hand. An armored hand flew down into his vision and slapped him across the face. "What did you do to her _now_ , you Advent filth?"

"He saved my _life_ , Kristen you stupid _bitch_!" Mara's furious voice cut through the hubbub as a loud hum sounded and Cooper stared as the ramp behind him closed, the bodies of the fallen dissidents left where they lay. A few stray railgun rounds bounced in and about, but none went far. The sound of a struggle came from nearby. "Let me _go_ , you _bastard_! Touch him again and I _will_ kill you, Kristen! _You_ are no sister of _mine_!"

The sound of another slap echoed and suddenly, Mara was at Cooper's side, her face flushed with anger and fear. Cooper stared up at the handprint that discolored half of her face and growled, but it was pitiful. He felt so weak.

"Major!" A harsh female voice sounded and Cooper jerked as pair of armored boots stepped up beside him "Stand down. Now."

" _You see what he did, Colonel!_ " The Major sounded as if she had completely lost it.

"I see something I truly did not expect.." The other woman said flatly. "I see your sister alive when you left her for dead."

A sudden hush swept the room. Cooper stared at Mara who would not meet this eyes.

"She didn't have a pulse." The Major said into the sudden silence. Her voice was suddenly unsure, tiny almost. "She had been hit bad and died on the spot. I checked. She was _dead!_ He did something to her. Made her one of them. Move, Colonel! Let me shoot him!"

"Go on, shoot, Major! Because that is _all_ you are now. One of _them_. Nothing more. No kin of mine." Mara said with a snarl worthy of a Muton. "But you _will_ shoot me first if you hurt him again. If you don't, I _will_ kill you or die trying." It should have been ludicrous, Mara threatening this older, tougher soldier. It _wasn't_.

"Hollywood, Fridge, take the Major to her quarters." The other woman commanded. " _Keep_ her there. The Commander will want to talk to her. _Again_." The last was sour.

The woman started to curse but her voice was further away. Cooper was so tired, he didn't bother to look. He jerked as Mara's voice sounded from close at hand.

"You are not going to help him." The girl said with a calm that she couldn't possibly be feeling. "Will you shoot me if I do?"

"You have guts, girl." The voice of the one called Colonel said mildly. "Not a lot of _sense_ , but definitely guts. Do what you want. You are not leaving this bay for a bit and you will not be left alone."

"I owe him." Mara said in a very quiet voice as something heavy poked Cooper in the side. He bit back a groan as pain slammed through him. It felt as if a red hot poker was being shoved into his ribs. Had he been shot? He hadn't felt anything.

"None of us on this ship have any love for Advent." The Colonel replied. "Even noncombatant Advent."

"You have your own people to tend." Mara said with a sigh as hands soothed the pain in Cooper's chest down to manageable levels. "He only has me after what you people did to him."

"You are bleeding." The colonel was still calm.

"It is a long way from my heart and it is not arterial. I will live." Mara snapped, her patience obviously fleeing. "So will he if you let me work. Then you can torture us _both_ to your heart's content."

"The Major is not a bad person, Mara." The other said after a moment. "She really _did_ think you were dead. When she found out you were alive, it broke something inside her."

"And that makes it all better." Mara said savagely. "Everything she has done, all right. Because she thought I was dead and she broke."

"No." The other replied. "She is over the line. What she did in the prison was over the line. We always have to be careful that we do not become what we fight."

"Why not?" Mara demanded. "The end always justifies the means for people like you. Who cares how many you kill, maim or just hurt as long as you get what you want?"

"We are fighting for humanity's survival, Mara." The other replied, still calm. Mara scoffed and the other sighed. "Look, don't do anything dumb. We are not going to shoot you out of hand or let the Major shoot you out of hand unless we have no choice. We want answers."

"To what questions?" Mara snapped. "You have us in your power, you do not _need_ to _ask._ "

" _We_ are not Advent." The other replied, her tone turning frosty. "If we do something, it is for the good of humanity."

"You keep telling yourself that." Mara snapped. "But do not expect trust."

Cooper was stunned as the other laughed. It sounded purely amused. Not bitter or resentful. Not ironic. Simply entertained.

"You may say you are not related anymore, but oh man do I see her in you." The other was chuckling. "Girl, you _know_ better. We are not going to trust you. _You_ are not going to trust _us_. Trust has to be earned and you serve people we detest. People who have earned our wrath many times over."

"I wasn't given a choice." Mara sounded a bit less confident now. The pain in Cooper's chest was fading. "But it is not a bad life. I don't hurt people and I am not afraid all the time like I was."

"Is that what he did?" The other asked, her tone odd.

"No." Cooper managed to push past his leaden tongue to speak. "I helped her stay calm when they interrogated her. When they sought any and all information on who and what she was. If she had resisted at all, she would have died."

"Doctor, don't move." Mara warned. "I have bandaged the wound, but there are four soldiers aiming weapons at us."

"Of course they are, Mara." Cooper said with a sigh that became a cough. A hand found his and he gave it a squeeze. "To them, we are monsters. Humans who serve their enemies. Our motivations do not matter, only our actions."

"You are a very odd man, Doctor Cooper." The Colonel said slowly. "What do you make of me?" She asked.

"I make it that if I say the wrong thing, I am dead and so is Mara." Cooper kept his eyes shut.

"True." The other snorted. "But that doesn't mean we need to be rude. You are not aliens. You simply serve them willingly and turn people to serve them." Her tone was speculative rather than accusing.

"What do you want from me?" Cooper asked. "I am kind of stuck at the moment. You brought us aboard. We didn't ask to come."

"If you had stayed, you would have run from the Advent forces and they would have gunned you both down without hesitation." The other replied. "We need more information on what you do and how. What you do is unlike anything else we have seen from any other Advent." Cooper kept this mouth shut and the other made a noise of sour amusement. "Doctor, your life is secure as long as you do not do anything stupid. You won't be comfortable and we will hurt you if you step out of line. But you are human."

"I don't know whether to be complimented or insulted." Cooper said quietly.

"You know? Probably a bit of both." The other replied. "Then again, humans are nothing if not contrary."

"So very true." Cooper cracked his eyes and looked at the voice. The woman who stood before him was armed and armored. She was also very familiar, but he was sure he did not know her. She wore armor that was kind of like the plated armor the sniper had worn, but not quite. It was form fitting, almost skintight. But from the scorch marks on it, the armor was far tougher than it had any right to be. Her hands were empty but a large firearm of some kind hung from her hip. Was that a _sword hilt_ that stuck up from one shoulder? He couldn't tell what color her hair was, she was wearing a baseball cap with a faded logo. All that paled as he saw her eyes and the _madness_ that lurked within them. He went totally still and he felt rather than saw Mara cringe beside him.

"Yeah." The woman called Colonel said mildly. "Look upon the work of your oh so benevolent masters." She waved at her face. "Look and know despair."

"Look upon the work of _yours_." Cooper found himself replying. "You people destroyed my mind, stole my memories, programmed me to dance to your tune. I worked hard not to hurt anyone. You simply kill them."

"When we must." The woman did not move and he could feel Mara's fear as if he were telepathic himself. Cooper felt his guts clench as the women drew her sword! But she didn't strike with it. His eyes followed the tip as it bent down and arced under Mara's jaw! She gasped as her head was slowly raised up by the flat of the blade. "You say you do not want to hurt people and Mara does not wish to leave you." The soldier chuckled again and madness sounded deep in her tone. "So how about this? Anything you do, we will punish her for. Anything _she_ does? _You_ get punished."

"You are crazy!" Mara did not dare move with a razor sharp edge just beneath her face.

"I lost _two_ families to Advent's _benevolence_. Both _de_ _a_ _d_." The soldier said with a growl. "Don't talk to _me_ about crazy, girl."

"What do you _want_?" Cooper demanded. "Obviously, you want something or you would have just killed us both by now."

"Maybe." The madwoman with the sword said mildly. "Then again, maybe I am just nuts like Advent proclaims we all are. A fringe element, lost in the past."

"What do you want?" Cooper refused to be distracted. He stiffened as she glared at him.

"What do I want? I want my families back." She snapped. "Or at the very least I want a future in which it is not right for some non human to waltz in and take children from their families any time it wishes. I want a future where humans can choose their own fates, not have them dictated by alien masters."

"You know I cannot give you any of that." Cooper said slowly as realization dawned. She was _testing_ him! "This is… No." He shook his head slowly. "You are not crazy, no matter how well you act it."

Mara's eyes went huge as the woman shook her head, smiled, retracted her blade and sheathed it. Her eyes shifted a bit and she nodded to him as her face became more human like.

"Madness is a luxury in our line of work." The soldier stated to Mara. "I have neither the time nor the inclination to piss off wasting it by being nuts when it is not needed."

"So what do you _want_?" Mara pleaded.

"Isn't it obvious, Mara?" Cooper asked slowly.

"She wants information that she thinks only we have."


	8. Chapter 8

**X-Com**

"You are as bright as the reports said." The not-quite-a-madwoman said with a nod as she watched Cooper. "You may call me Colonel Kelly." Cooper just watched her and her mouth set to a thin line. "There is no need for rudeness now. Isn't that supposed to be Advent's way? Gentle but irresistible?"

"Anything I say you will probably take the wrong way." Cooper said slowly.

It took great effort to take his eyes from the dangerous, _dangerous_ woman who stood in front of him but he managed. He saw he was lying on a metal floor in a huge bay, one that was dominated by a large craft of some kind. It had what had to be engines on either side that looked as if they swiveled and the tail was split. But as his eyes roved, he saw half a dozen shadows along the walls, all with weapons aimed at him and Mara. Mara knelt beside him, her face pale and her lips compressed.

"I might." Colonel Kelly said with a frown. "But I give you my word I will try to curb my natural inclinations on meeting people like you." She reached up and tapped her sword hilt meaningfully.

"What do you want?" Cooper asked as his back started to hurt. The deck was _not_ comfortable. He fought not to squirm.

"You don't know where Mara, Ana and Peter came from." It wasn't a question but Cooper shook his head. "Mara may or may not have been dead. Peter and Ana _were_."

"Why should we believe you?" Mara snapped, but she subsided when Cooper reached out very slowly and laid a hand on her arm. She was trembling. "You have blocked me. All I hear is static."

"If we hadn't learned how to block psionic signals, we would _all_ be dead by now." The Colonel was still quiet and calm. Cooper appreciated that, the woman was _terrifying_. Which was the whole point, he assumed. Keep him off balance and maintain control of the situation. But Mara did not have his emotional control. "Many times over. You are going to be uncomfortable, but better that than dead."

"They couldn't have been dead." Cooper said slowly. "I mean, medically a body _can_ be resuscitated after a time if the conditions are right but all kinds of problems usually result." He shook his head slowly. "They were not dead. None of them showed any sign of being resuscitated. It leaves traces that can be detected with most modern tech."

"I know. But they were." Kelly replied. "I saw it happen." Cooper stiffened and Kelly nodded. "Ana and Peter were part of my team for an op. They were both hit, both went down hard and stayed down. No life signs."

Ana and Peter had been dissidents? Cooper had suspected, but neither had ever shown any anti-social behavior. Ana's wounds had said she hadn't a friend of Advent, but still… Dissidents?

"That is not possible!" Cooper said flatly. "I mean, Ana shows signs of wounds, but if they had _killed_ her..." He shook her head. "No. Not even Advent tech can bring back the dead like that." Hie eyes widened as he realized what he had just said and the Colonel nodded.

"And now you begin to understand why we are so concerned." The soldier said with a small frown.

"Well, _I_ don't!" Mara exclaimed. Her terror was eating away at her control. If she acted out here, she would likely get herself killed. He couldn't let that happen if he could help it.

"Mara." Cooper said in a quiet voice. She stiffened and then relaxed. "Be calm. Work the problem like we taught you. What are the facts?" The colonel's eyes held a hint of respect now as Cooper focused on keeping Mara calm.

"I am alive. Peter is alive. Ana is alive. Ana has the scars of projectile wounds on her chest and back. We shared quarters. I have seen them. Those wounds were _very_ bad." Mara said slowly. "I don't know about Peter."

"He doesn't have any visible scars." Cooper eyed the Colonel who eyed him right back. "You saw him die?"

"You could say that." Kelly actually _grimaced_. "I was hit by the gore. He was struck in the head by a railgun round." Cooper stared at her, jaw falling open. "And yes. We have corroborated. It took some doing, but we managed to get a sample of his DNA. _Your_ Peter's DNA is a perfect match for our records. Not a clone or a copy. Him."

"That is not _possible_." Copper felt faint. "Even Advent tech has limits. If he had been hit in the _head_ as badly as you imply, then there wouldn't have been anything _left_ to _save_. Even if whoever did that did bring him back, he couldn't possibly function!"

"He was dead." Colonel Kelly said mildly. "Now he is not."

"And you think I did this somehow." Cooper mused. Colonel Kelly shook her head. "What then?"

"You don't know where they came from." Kelly replied. Cooper frowned, but then remembered they had interrogated him thoroughly in the prison. "We couldn't get anything from Ana, even when her eyes vanished."

"Wait, what?" Mara demanded. "What do you mean _'vanished'_?"

"Mara. Calm down." Cooper kept his voice mild through long practice. Mara's brain sponge had long since stopped being effective at calming her, but the anger management training he had given her helped a great deal. She relaxed. "I don't think they know what happened. Do you?" He asked the armored woman who shook her head.

"One morning in the prison when she woke up, they were gone." Kelly shrugged at his disbelieving expression. "Believe what you will, but we are not wantonly cruel simply to be such." Mara opened her mouth, but Cooper squeezed her arm and she closed it.

"You may be enemies of the people I work for, but if your group had no scruples at all, there would be a _lot_ of dead civilians everywhere you go like some of the other resistance groups leave." Cooper said slowly. Kelly inclined her head to him. "There are very rarely dead civilians when your particular group is involved as far as I know, so… You have _some_ scruples."

"Most of the time it is _Advent_ who kills civilians, not us." Kelly replied. Mara bristled, but Cooper squeezed her arm again and she subsided.

"Mara, their point of view is diametrically opposed to ours. We are not going to agree on much of anything." Cooper said quietly. "You are upset and you have a right to it. But you _need_ to be calm. This is not a place for anger. Focus, girl. Go to your happy place." She smiled a little and then her eyes turned inwards.

"Happy… place…?" Kelly inquired in a bemused voice.

"It is a good place." Mara intoned softly and Kelly's eyes went slightly wider. "There are bunnies..." She trailed off and her breathing became regular. Kelly stared at her and then at Cooper.

"Much of what I did for her was simple psychology." Cooper said with a wince as his back protested again. "Even without what you are implying, what happened to Mara, Ana and Peter almost destroyed them." Cooper sighed deeply. '"It took drastic measures to give them any chance of recovery. Mara needed time to come to grips with her new life. I gave her that time. It wasn't mind control or hypnotism. I gave her tools to help her cope, to keep her calm. No more. She can hear us, but she has trained herself not respond until she is calm. I did what I could. She had been traumatized enough."

"Being dead might be considered traumatic." Kelly smiled a death's head grin, but Cooper was not dissuaded.

"Mara remembered most of her previous life. Ana and Peter did not." Cooper said with a frown. "All those two knew when they came to me was pain and rage. I did what I could." He repeated. "They needed help, I gave it."

"Advent security brought them to you." Kelly mused. "All three of them."

"Not through normal channels." Cooper said and then stiffened. "No… You cannot think someone _there_ did this!" He couldn't believe he was giving credence to this, but the argument was persuasive. They hadn't killed him. Indeed, they had lost people recovering him and Mara from the battlefield. That spoke of a need. But why?

"It wouldn't be the first time people went off the reservation. There are all kinds of reasons for such things. Some are even valid." Kelly said quietly, still watching Mara who was sitting in place, hands folded in her lap now. She knelt the same way every time and folded her hands just so every time. The formality and discipline helped her.

"Whatever you may think of Advent, it isn't _possible_." Cooper said slowly. "Everything is recorded. Everything is backed up. If they had managed to resuscitate slain… um… soldiers." He managed to keep from saying 'dissidents' through sheer force of will. "...then there would be records. Somewhere."

"Not _everything_." The soldier said darkly. Cooper looked at her, but she did not elaborate. "And we have been looking." Kelly said with a nod. "So far, nothing. So, when we were asked to 'acquire' you and your assistant alive, we did for our own reasons as well as the Resistance's."

"And then you interrogated us." Cooper said slowly.

"We did and I won't apologize for it. We would do it again. We don't have the time or equipment Advent takes for granted. You don't know what happened." Kelly replied. " _Ana_ doesn't know what happened. What you did might be considered brainwashing, but as you say, she needed help. They all did. Bad. I do not agree with _what_ you did. But _why_?" She heaved sigh. "Ana was a colleague. She is not who she was. She wasn't the woman I fought beside when you first saw her and like you say, you didn't hurt her. I do miss her. The woman I knew is dead."

"I..." Cooper paused and then bowed his head. "You have my condolences." Kelly speared him with a look and Cooper shook his head. "No, I am not being sarcastic or ironic. I _know_ about losing friends and colleagues." He glared at her and wonder of wonders, she looked away first. "Your psis read my mind. You know."

"Doctor?" Mara asked as she came out of her meditation. Her face was serene as she looked at him. "Are you all right?"

"No, he is not." Kelly said quietly. Cooper glared at her harder and she shook her head. "It is not my secret to tell." He jerked, astonished. _Kindness_ from a mad dissident? What was the world coming to? She shook her head. "We need to know what he did to you, Mara. We need to know _everything_ that was done to you. What was done before he got you."

"No." Mara begged, cringing down beside the still reclining doctor. "No _please!_ Shoot me, stab me, burn me, kill me, but _don't_ rip my mind apart. Not _again_! I can't..." She was crying softly now and the doctor sat up slowly, hissing as pain flared, but he took her in his arms and held her gently. "I can't go through coming back from that _again_!"

"You can't do that to her. It will destroy her." Cooper said sadly. "She is still incredibly fragile even now. Even the Elder said so."

"What?" Kelly was suddenly on edge, her hand on the weapon at her side. "An _Elder_?"

"I know." Cooper said as he held Mara and tried to soothe her. "No one has seen them for years. It is crazy. She was so hurt when she came to us, I feared for her. Security wanted to interrogate her, but I knew it would kill her. I planned to do it myself even not being trained for such. But an Elder appeared. It said that they wanted her functional. It wasn't physically there but it did the interrogation anyway."

"You never told me this." Mara said through her tears.

"I didn't _remember_ it until you jarred my memory to get me out of the convulsions, Mara." He held her against himself and crooned softly to her. She quieted a little. "You didn't see that in my mind?"

"I didn't know what I was doing." Mara sobbed into his shoulder. "Please!" She begged the soldier. Kelly just looked at her and Mara begged. "Please don't hurt me!"

"What was done to you was apparently different from what was done to Ana and Peter." Kelly shook her head as Mara cried. "We need to know what it was and we need to know who did it. We didn't do it. The doc thinks Advent didn't do it. So who _did_?" She paused. "And… no offense but why would an Elder be interested in _you_? You were not inherently psychic or of the proper..." She broke off and grimaced.

"I don't know." Mara said weakly. "I don't _know_." She moaned when the Colonel looked at her.

"I can't let you hurt her." Cooper said slowly, hugging Mara gently. "Do with me what you will, but I cannot let you rip her apart."

"You really think we would cut her up while she is _alive_ and _aware_?" Kelly demanded. Cooper just looked at her and she shook her head again. "Even _your_ kind practice some kindness. When your masters tear minds apart to get information, the subjects don't generally stay conscious or live for long after."

"I wouldn't know." Cooper admitted. Kelly looked at him and he shook his head. "I know Advent is not as nice as the broadcasts portray. But compared to the alternatives?" He sighed. "I saw what was left of the Middle East. Locking me and Ana up here was evil."

"We need to know." Kelly made a gesture and two forms approached. The doctor's eyes went wide as he realized both woman had white hair and their eyes were glowing. "We will try not to hurt you, girl." She promised as the women took hold of Mara and pulled her from the doctor's embrace. He fell back to the floor, gasping.

" _NO! PLEASE!_ " Mara screamed. She struggled but she had no chance against two much stronger and larger women. She was biting, clawing and energy was flaring from her hands, but none of it had no effect as the two psionic soldiers bodily carried her away. Her wailing screams continued and Cooper struggled to sit up. Pain flared in his chest and the Colonel watched him. The soldiers around him had their weapons aimed, but he didn't care.

"She doesn't _know_." Cooper said flatly as he managed to struggle to his feet. It hurt like hell, but he stayed on his feet. "You will kill her. For _what_?"

He couldn't stop them. It wasn't possible. But maybe… He could get them to deny themselves their prize. There _were_ weapons aimed at him. If he got one to fire… It wouldn't help Mara, but if they thought he was the key and they killed him, perhaps they would go easier on her. It was all he could do for her.

"To deny Advent the means of resurrecting our dead." Kelly replied evenly, her hand on her firearm. "They can already to do it to their own for a time on the battlefield." Cooper stared at her in horror and Kelly nodded. "If they can bring back our dead, give them to you..." She shook her head. "Yes, what you do is fairly gentle and compassionate. But i t is mind control and we _are_ at war."

"And a young girl's life or sanity is a small price to pay to keep fighting." Cooper said slowly. Kelly inclined her head, but did not move otherwise. Her hand was still on her weapon. "You evil bitch."

"I do not take enjoyment from such things." The soldier replied. "There are those among us who do, but I do not. I honestly am not sure if you are my enemy or not."

"If I was, I would be dead?" Cooper said with a snarl. Kelly nodded. "Go ahead. I won't help you willingly."

"Part of me was kind of hoping you would say that."

He never saw what hit him.

* * *

Some time later

"Really, Colonel." An irate voice sounded from close at hand but was muffled, as if through cotton balls. Cooper struggled against whatever was holding him to the hard surface. He couldn't see and he was trapped down tight. When he tried to speak, he couldn't. "Giving him a concussion to add to the penetrating trauma helps matters, _how_?"

"He was trying to get us to kill him." Colonel Kelly sighed. She too was muffled. "My men are disciplined, but their control was faltering. He knew it. He was pushing for one of them to fire."

"What possible gain did he see in getting _shot_?" The other demanded.

"You saw the transcript that Syndrome put together." Kelly said evenly. "You know what happened to him. I have to say, he impressed me."

"What?" The other sounded stunned now.

"Syndrome tore his mind to _shreds_ , doctor." Kelly said quietly. "He shouldn't have been able to _move_ , let alone function, let alone treat the injured at the camp. He hasn't hurt _anyone_ even when he could have. He is true to his calling and no one can see that and not admire it a bit."

What the? They had been watching at the train station? Why hadn't they stopped Advent from gassing the people there? Why hadn't they taken him and Ana back? What kind of sick, twisted game were they playing?

"He truly believes in what he does." The other sounded sad now. "He really believes that what he does is for the best and does the best he possibly can for his patients."

"To his mind, what he does is needed." Kelly sounded sick now. "He really thinks he is helping people by making them calm and docile." Her tone moderated. "He _did_ help Ana, Peter and Mara. I have to admit that. Just seeing Ana like that… it hurt, Doc."

"I know." The other was sad. Then he hissed. "What the? He can't be awake already!"

"I would revise my opinion of what is possible and what is not, Doc." Kelly replied. "It isn't possible that he saved Mara. But he did. He didn't bring her back to life, but he did save her from what Advent would have done to her. And an Elder..." The soldier sounded worried now. "That changes everything."

"No one has seen an Elder for a decade." Another voice sounded. Male, in charge. "We need to know."

"Right." The dissident doctor said sadly. "He is awake. I had hoped for more time, but..."

"Time waits for no one." Kelly said heavily. "Syndrome. Now."

Whatever was covering his eyes was yanked off and he blinked rapidly in the bright light. But then it was occluded. He screamed into whatever was in his mouth as the skull face from his nightmares appeared in his vision, hands limned with purple fire reaching for his head. He prayed for oblivion.

It was denied to him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hurts**

He was back there. He cringed as he stared across the blasted landscape. At the metal hull that…

" _NO!"_ He screamed as he watched it happen _again_. The fire that ate through the silver metal wings as if they were made of wood. The screams that came from it. From one voice that he had _prayed_ never to hear again. "You evil scum! Don't make me live it _again_!"

"You think I want to?" Cooper spun and stared as a human form appeared beside him. The man wore a nondescript bodysuit and boots, but that paled beside his eyes that flashed lavender and his hair that was white. His face was cool, remote. "You really think I enjoy this?" Cooper stared at the dissident psi, his fists balled at his sides. "You think I enjoy feeling what you felt, then and now?"

"Yes." Cooper snapped.

"Then despite your knowledge, you don't know much about humans, do you?" The other waved a hand and the horrific scene vanished, to be replaced by four steel walls. They were unadorned, the ceiling and floor likewise. There was no furniture but Cooper was busy trying hard not to retch to pay close attention.

Cooper was breathing hard, the horror that he had just seen again turning every breath into agony. Just as it had been way back when. He broken three ribs and his right arm in the crash but he had been able to get out. He could feel the bone pricking up out of his arm, feel the heat on his hands, feel the-

"Stop thinking about it!" The psi said sternly. "Just breathe. Focus on breathing. You are not there. You are not hurt now."

" _You had to make me remember. You just had to!_ " Cooper screamed at him.

"It was the turning point of your life." The other said quietly. "The most important thing you remember in your life."

" _JUST KILL ME ALREADY!_ " Cooper screamed even louder, this time the room reverberated with his rage. " _You have taken everything else from me. Why not take my life too?_ "

"Because despite the fact that you work loyally for our enemies, enemies who have shown an interest in exterminating most if not all of humanity, you are not a bad man, Doctor Cooper." The psi was still quiet. "A bad man wouldn't have helped Ana, Peter and Mara. A bad man wouldn't have done everything you have done to try and keep from harming others. A bad man _would_ have found an easier way, a more efficient way."

"There _wasn't_ one." Cooper snapped and the psi nodded.

"I do believe you." The other was _still_ so calm and quiet. Cooper stared at him and the psi smiled. It was more grim than friendly. "I see every facet of your mind, doctor. How can I not believe that _you_ believe what you say? I know you on an incredibly deep level now and yes, it hurts me just as bad for you to see that again. Or, I thought I knew you. I did not see any trace of an Elder but they are very good and I did not have a lot of time to browse every memory." He shook his head. "If you believe _nothing_ else I say, then believe _this_. I feel what you feel. I did _not_ enjoy making you see that. It hurts me too."

"I couldn't help her." Cooper said weakly. He fell to his knees and hugged himself, aware on some level that his arms were whole, that he wasn't wearing the college outfit he had been wearing on that horrible, horrible day. The burnt and tattered one he had been wearing when rescuers had found him clawing at the still smoldering wreck. Trying feebly to get into the burning aircraft. To get to his wife-to-be. "I couldn't help _any_ of them."

He tasted bile as memory flooded him again. This time, the psi touched his arm and he could feel the pain, horror and fear again, but it did not overwhelm him.

It had been such a great day. His medical school group had been on the way home from an outing. They had taken a week to tour a major medical center on the West Coast of the US. His fiance Helen had been in the group and they had spent the nights in his hotel room studying together. Well, among other things. He had proposed to her the week before and she had accepted. He had been smitten with her for the entire time in medical school and he had been taking her out for most of that time. He hadn't been 100% sure, but she had accepted his proposal and his life was complete.

But then, on the trip home, the passengers on the plane had seen strange lights in the sky. He hadn't payed any attention. Helen and he had been thinking about their future. Both wanted to continue in medical school. They had been discussing children when it had happened. Something had hit the airplane and the next thing he knew, Cooper had been on the ground, staring at the outside of the plane as it burned. He had suffered three broken ribs, a broken arm, a dislocated vertebrae and second degree burns over much of his exposed body. The rescuers had been gentle, but also _firm_ as they had pulled him away from the wreck.

The rescuers hadn't been _human_.

It hadn't clicked for some time what had happened or why. He had been a mess. Cooper had been so out of it for long time, almost a year had passed before he had been functional again and by then _everything_ had changed. His future had evaporated in the heat of the burning airplane. The war in which his fiance and so many other had been collateral damage was over. He only had his work and he had thrown himself into it. So many had needed help and he had been available after healing, but he too had needed help. Help he couldn't get anywhere else. So he had found a way to help himself.

His specialty had always been neurochemistry and his breakthrough in developing the sponges had led to a great deal of acclaim and work with the Advent coalition. He had worked hard to make life better for people, to make people hurt less.

"You never told them." The psi was still quiet.

"That I put an _experimental sponge_ in my own head halfway hoping it would _kill_ me?" Cooper snapped. "No! I didn't tell my bosses that!"

"Smart man." The psi unbent a little, his smile turned a bit friendlier.

"I was lost." Cooper replied, not relaxing. "I was. I was lost in my pain and fear. I don't know why they tolerated me, kept me going. I needed a reason to live and suddenly I did. I knew what to do. But, I hadn't lost my sense of ethics. I wasn't going to try it on anyone _else_."

"And you call _us_ crazy." The psi shook his head. "Sticking one of those things in your own head was _nuts_ , doc." Cooper just glared at him and the psi sighed. "I know. I felt it when I scanned you. I know how much it hurt. How much it _still_ hurts."

" _NEITHER OF US KNEW!_ " Cooper screamed suddenly.

"What could you have done?" The psi asked, his tone oddly gentle now.

"Nothing." Cooper was crying hard as he sank back to the floor. "I thought I was beyond pain. Then they told me what they found when they searched the wreck and..." He was heaving in grief now and the other laid a hand on his shoulder again. No energy passed, just a touch, but a comforting one. "Advent was new. Brand new. I didn't understand. I didn't think. I just… I needed _something_ to _do_. Someone I _could_ save. To make the hurt go away a little."

"Yeah." The psi's tone was very quiet now. "I find my solace in a bottle myself." Cooper stared at him, shocked and the man shook his head. "You think I don't have emotion, doctor? Alcohol is the only way the voices stop."

"I don't know much about psi powers." Cooper said slowly. "What I _do_ know doesn't sound fun at all."

"It isn't." The other said sourly. "Don't get me wrong, it is a powerful weapon, but like any weapon, it can turn in your hand if you are unwary with it. Shooting yourself in the foot is bad, but shooting yourself in the foot with psi powers is downright _dangerous_. To you and everyone _around_ you."

"I wouldn't know." Cooper heaved a sigh and relaxed. "Thank you."

"Don't tell anyone." The psi said with a small smile. "I have a reputation to maintain."

"I won't. I like my health." Cooper said with a small smile of his own. He sighed deeply and then swung his legs around until he was sitting. "What do you want to see? I assume it works better if I do not resist. I just hope Mara is okay, she is a good kid."

"That she is. We are not going to kill you _or_ Mara." The psi said with a nod. "Not even by accident. Both of you are far too important now to let Mara's sister hurt you again. I reported what she did to you to my own superiors. That is why the place was shut down. Why you were released."

"And what you did to me?" Cooper asked. "Wait. No. I understand. I am an asset to your enemies. You had to deny them the asset." The psi nodded. "Killing me might have been kinder."

"Maybe." The psi heaved a sigh of his own. "But like I say, you are not a bad man, doctor. You are not at all what I expected. I expected a cold, clinical brainwasher. Not a _doctor_ doing the best he could for his patients."

"What I did _might_ be considered brainwashing." Cooper said after a moment. "I did alter Mara's world view fairly significantly. Ana and Peter? They needed the calm. They needed time to recover. To remember what they could and move on. I gave them that. But Mara was… different."

"That she is. Doctor, I scanned her sister when we brought her in. After you were released and she shot Ana, we took her into custody." The psi said quietly. "She was not lying. Mara was _dead_. She was hit and went down in a heap. When her sister checked, Mara didn't have a pulse. Kristen had to run, she had to leave her sister's body behind."

"I cannot believe that." Cooper said weakly. "Mara wasn't dead when she was brought in. She had a bad burn but she was _alive_. You have seen my memories. You know what I do." The psi nodded. "So… what?"

"So, the _only_ link we can find between them is _you_." The psi said with a nod. "We cannot find who brought them to you. It isn't in any Advent records. Like you said to the Colonel, it _should_ be. But it isn't."

"That won't go over well with HQ." Cooper said weakly. The psi just looked at him and Cooper sighed. "Right. Like you are going to just let us go."

"You know better than that." The psi shrugged. "Barring the Major's anger issues, we don't need to be cruel. If we do lock you up again, it won't be like that and she won't be allowed to hurt you again. You will heal what I did to you in time."

"Part of me almost wishes she hadn't stopped." Cooper said softly. The psi did not comment and he slumped. "Part of me still wishes I had died with Helen and our kid. But I didn't." He turned to face the psi. "I do not like you, your methods or your agenda. No matter what, people die when you fight."

"People die when we don't." The psi replied. "You do not know the truth. I do not have authorization to tell you the truth as we know it and be _glad_. You would _never_ sleep soundly again."

"What do I do?" Cooper asked. "And will I get your name?"

"Relax as best you can." The psi stepped close, his hands now wreathed with lavender fire again. "If you have to call me anything? Call me Morgan."

This time, when he touched Cooper's head, it didn't hurt. Again, he saw the reel of memories as he performed surgery on Mara. This time, he could feel the other's mind as he saw Ana in the doctor's mind The grief was palpable, but the psi was quick to banish that. Again, Cooper saw his hands steady as he inserted the sponge into Mara's brain that would help her cope while she healed. He heard the psi snicker as her replayed the confrontation with Agent Gorn. But then, the psi 's mind focused as the Elder appeared.

The scene froze as Cooper rose from bowing to the Elder. He jerked and stepped away, Morgan appeared beside him. The psi was staring at the Elder's image, eyes intent on the robed alien form.

"What?" Cooper asked slowly, not wanting to distract the man.

"I don't know." The dissident said slowly. "Something… That isn't like any video I have seen of Elders." He shook his head. "I have never met one. I don't know of any of us who have ever met one and survived the meeting."

"I had never met one either." Cooper admitted "It was hell of a shock to see that in my memory when Mara jolted me out of my convulsions. _Thank you_ for those by the way." He said dryly.

"The _last_ thing we needed was you running right back to Advent." Morgan said quietly, still eyeing the psionic manifestation of Cooper's memory. "But this isn't right."

"How so?" Cooper asked. "Gorn was suitably intimidated."

"From what I have seen in your memories, the man has no spine when faced by someone with more power." The psi replied. "Put him in a room with Colonel Kelly for _five minutes_ and you will be washing the floor for _days_. Provided she doesn't make an example of him. Then cleaning it might take _weeks_."

"I don't want to know!" Cooper said quickly.

"Smart man." The soldier pursed his lips in thought. "Our Colonel can be quite a show stopper all by her lonesome. But this..." He sounded confused now. "This doesn't feel right."

"It is an alien." Cooper said with a grunt.

"Yes, and I have touched a lot of alien minds." The psi said with no trace of conceit at all. "This doesn't feel the same."

"Ah… Elder?" Cooper waved at the robed form.

"Is it?" The psi asked, reaching for the form. Cooper gasped, but then he went totally still as the psi grabbed hold of the form and pulled. The robe tore. The _image_ tore.

But what happened next…

 _You shouldn't touch when not invited to, human._ Another mind spoke. This wasn't anyone that Cooper knew, but… it sort of sounded like the Elder had. Sort of female, sort of not. Totally alien. The alien form suddenly swelled and was suddenly huge! It was transparent and yellow! It had four arms like an Elder, but it was floating in mid-air and tendrils that ended in bright yellow lights were sweeping out from it. _That was rude._

Was she _chiding_ the very powerful and scary psionic soldier?

"What the hell?" Cooper was unprepared when the psi was suddenly between him and the yellow apparition. He screamed as the tendrils swept right _through_ the human psi to grab hold of Cooper's arms and shoulders. Suddenly, he couldn't move. Nothing hurt, but he couldn't move. Worry and compassion swept through him and he slumped to the floor, tears falling. He was…

"Let him go." The psi commanded.

 _So you can hurt him again?_ The other asked mildly. _He has been hurt enough. You have a very strong mind, human_ _James Morgan_ _called Syndrome, but there are limits to your knowledge. You can kill him. I cannot stop you._ _He is a healer, not a warrior. Not a killer. Your kind despise his._

"You really think that?" The human psi asked.

 _He refuses to fight when he cannot win. There is little challenge in besting someone who does not fight back._ The alien form declared. _On a battlefield, that would be considered good tactics. What is it in a_ **schoolyard** _?_

"I am not here to debate ethics with an extraterrestrial." The human psi said sternly. "Your kind came here. You came with your armies and weapons to conquer us."

 _The Elders did._ The other replied. _I did not come. I was brought here against my will, same as their slaves, but not by them._

Cooper did not understand what she -if the gender was appropriate- meant. He was so tired. So tired he could barely keep his eyes open.

"What do you mean?" The psi demanded.

 _You think that aliens are the_ **only** _ones who can be cruel or capricious?_ The other asked, her tone almost tired. _Ask your commanders. If they bothered to remember. Ask them about Shamash._

"What?" The psi asked, but the yellow alien vanished and the memory went with it.

Cooper slumped to the bare metal floor and just sat there, drained utterly.

"That wasn't an Elder." He said weakly.

"I don't know _what_ that was." The psi admitted after a moment. "It was an incredibly powerful mind and it was linked to you." He touched Cooper's shoulder and then he shook his head. "I cannot sense the link now. But I couldn't sense it before. So… We have to assume that whatever it is, it is watching."

"Was it inside me all this time?" Cooper asked weakly.

"I don't know." The psi sighed. "I really don't. This is… This is new." He said a bit lamely.

"It was hiding?" Cooper asked. "Gorn had to have reported seeing an Elder. He _had_ to."

"Unless _he_ didn't remember it either." Morgan shook his head. "That mind was totally capable of such manipulations. From what I saw of that Agent? He wouldn't have been hard to steer."

"So, what?" Cooper asked as he felt fatigue rear up and slap him. "I am a puppet? A slave? A..." He broke off as a familiar mental whisper seeped through him.

 _More an ally. Rest little one. You need it._ The tone was so gentle and compassionate, he was comforted.

"You heard that." Cooper licked his lips as Morgan nodded. "Why do I get the feeling your bosses are not going to be pleased?"

"Because you are a very smart man."


	10. Chapter 10

**Family**

The bed was hard and he hurt. His chest hurt, his head hurt.

All that faded as sobs came from nearby. He was on his feet and at Mara's side in an instant. She was crying, her face hidden by her hands as she sobbed as quietly as she could. She was wearing clean clothing, but they were spattered with tears. She gave a small squeak as he embraced her and then she was sobbing openly into his shoulder.

"Mara." Cooper hugged the crying girl tight. "Oh Mara."

"It didn't hurt." Mara said through her tears. "But I couldn't _stop_ them. They went through… I saw _everything_!"

"Yeah." Cooper bowed his head and fought not to cry himself. She could likely feel his own pain since they were touching and he did not want to hurt her.

"I was such an _evil_ little twit." Mara cried. "I was so mean to Kristen when she tried to protect me. I was so arrogant! I _knew_ they couldn't catch me since I was so fast on my feet. She didn't want to rob that depot, but I _knew_ I could do it. But… I couldn't. They didn't bother chasing me. They fired when I didn't stop as ordered. I nearly got _her_ killed too."

"It is all right, Mara." Cooper said sadly. "It is all right. You are alive. She is alive." He gave her another squeeze. "Nothing is quite so painful as seeing ourselves as we truly are."

He fought hard to keep his emotions in check. From her look of sudden worry, he didn't manage completely.

"Since I accepted my new life, I have tried to be good." Mara begged him as she hugged him tight, almost clinging in her need. "I have tried so hard, but… I fail every day!"

"Mara..." Cooper chided her a little. "So do I. I am not perfect. Neither are you. All we can do is our best." He held her out at arms length and scrutinized her. She flushed under his regard. "What did they do to you. I saw you dragged away, but I couldn't do anything."

"They..." Mara gulped a deep breath, held it and calmed a little. "They blindfolded me. I don't know where we went. They put me on a table, held me down, gave me something that made me woozy and treated my wound." She tapped her arm and he stared at it. Indeed, the thin lines of healed scar tissue showed on it. "It was messy but not life threatening."

"You were shot?" Cooper demanded.

" _You_ were shot in the chest so don't complain!" Mara retorted with a smile, a hint of her usual self returning. It faded. "Then someone touched me and I saw..." She was crying again. "I saw it _all_."

"Yeah." Cooper bowed his head. "Me too."

"Who did you lose?" Mara asked very quietly through her tears.

"Her name was Helen." Cooper slumped and now it was Mara holding him up. "She would have been my wife."

"I am sorry." Mara was aghast. "All this time, I never thought to ask."

"It was too raw, too painful." Cooper said with a sigh. "It still is. I can handle it. Most of the time. But they pulled the memories back up. It really hurts."

"What happened to her?" Mara asked as she snuggled closer to him.

"The plane we were on crashed. Shot down." Cooper said sadly. "I was apparently thrown free of the wreckage. No one else was. I um… I woke up hearing them scream as the fire consumed them all. Hearing _her_ scream. Then… she stopped screaming. I was too badly hurt to do anything. I tried anyway. I failed." He couldn't look at Mara now.

"Oh my god." Mara hugged him tight.

"Tell her the rest." Cooper did not even flinched as the dark masked human psi who had terrified him so badly before unfolded from a corner he hadn't seen. He wasn't as afraid now. He knew the psi could kill him with a thought, but he also knew the other would not without cause. "She deserves to know and you need to let it out."

"Haven't you hurt us _enough_?" Mara demanded. "Why can't you just leave us _alone_?"

"There was something else, Mara." Cooper fought his pain back and hammered it into place with the skill of long practice. "Another being was involved. Not one that I have ever seen. He says he hasn't seen anything like it either."

"Tell her the rest." The skull masked man said severely.

"No!" Cooper snapped. "I won't do that to her too!"

"Tell her." The psi snapped right back. "It is the only way she will understand and _you_ need to move past it. She needs to understand why you do what you do. She is still attracted to you." Mara hissed in anger, but her face was flushed as well. "She needs to understand. Tell her."

"Leave him alone!" Mara rose up, her face flashing with power that was dwarfed by the other's. "The man lost his wife, can't you leave him be? He has a right to… mourn his… his family?" Her voice turned stunned and horror slowly crept across her face. She stared from the psi to Cooper and back. "No." Her voice was completely stark now, nothing hidden at all. "No, no, no, no, no."

He could tell she knew now, so he just sighed and explained.

"The rescue team scanned the wreckage thoroughly." Cooper was numb. "They were looking for other survivors. There was only one. The found a tiny, barely formed life in one of the bodies and tried to save it. They couldn't. They found my DNA in that tiny form and notified me when I was coherent."

"No." Mara went to her knees beside the doctor, her hands taking hold of his. "You… No!"

" _And I don't even know who did it!_ " Cooper screamed. " _Who shot us down! Who killed my wife and_ _our_ _kid!_ " He was crying again and Mara held him as he sobbed.

"It wasn't us." The psi said quietly. "What records we have are clear. No X-Com ships were anywhere near that area when the doctor's plane went down. It could have been aliens. It could have been US military. Hell, it could have been _civilians_ with looted surface to air missiles. We don't _know_. It was utter chaos by then. Fighting was everywhere. All civilian flights were grounded shortly after the doc's plane went down. It just wasn't safe to fly. He was caught in the first salvos of open warfare and paid for it."

"He didn't deserve that." Mara said weakly as she hugged the crying doctor. "As bad as what happened to me was… He didn't _deserve_ that."

"No, he didn't." The psi agreed. "The world is full of such stories, Mara. As bad as what you and your sister went through was..." He shook his head as Mara snarled. "She is still your sister, Mara. She does love you."

"I do not know her." Mara snapped. "I certainly will not ever _trust_ her." Cooper shook his head slowly.

"Mara, she is your kin." Cooper said weakly.

"Not anymore!" Mara snarled, both at Cooper and at the psi who remained impassive in his skull mask. "Anyone who can do what she did to you? No. I don't _know_ her."

"Mara, we need to talk to you and the doctor." The psi said quietly. "Your sister will be there."

"I _have_ no sister." Mara said flatly. Cooper and the psi looked at each other and Cooper knew the grimace on his own face was mirrored on the other's even not being able to see it through the mask. Cooper shook his head slowly as the psi cocked his in query. She needed time to calm down. Maybe he could talk her around. Maybe. Not anytime soon.

"Okay. Discussion tabled, but not dropped." Cooper swallowed hard and forced his emotions back. "When do they want to see us?"

"As soon as you are able to move." The psi sounded a bit apologetic. "What I saw in your mind bothered a lot of people."

"It bothered _me!_ " Cooper quipped weakly but then nodded and rose, pulling Mara to her feet.

"Doctor." Mara pleaded as he held her up.

"My pain is old, Mara." Cooper said as he nodded to the psi who slammed a closed fist into the wall twice. "I cannot help them. Maybe I can help you. Maybe I can't. But I have to try. For Helen."

"Helen." Mara slumped a bit and nodded. "Was she a good woman?"

" _Most_ of the time." Cooper said with a small, sad smile. Mara stared at him and he shrugged but his smile was firm as memories surged back. Not unpleasant ones either. "Hey! I was _nineteen_! She was _twenty_! We were engaged and very much in love. Sue me."

"I am truly sorry." Mara said as the wall clanked open and two guard shone outside, both with odd looking weapons ready. They looked like pistols, but boxy and had no muzzle that he could see. Some kind of emitter? The psi didn't speak, simply left the cell.

"I keep telling myself she isn't in pain now." Cooper started after the psi when one of the guards waved the muzzle of her weapon for him to move. "She wouldn't like the world we live in now. But I think she would like you." He ruffled her hair gently and she smiled a bit warily as they walked from the cell. "Can you stay calm, Mara?"

"I don't know." Mara admitted. "After seeing it all, reliving it all… I honestly do not know, doctor." He looked at her and she slumped.

"If I ask for a sedative, would you take it?" Cooper asked. Mara would not meet his eyes and he tapped her arm. "Mara. This is important. If you were dead, and all evidence says you _were_ … Then someone is _reviving_ the dead. For what purpose, we do not know. I doubt it will be anything good."

 _Oh ye of little faith._ The mind within his gave a small chuckle and vanished before he could gather his wits.

"What was that?" Mara asked slowly. "That wasn't… I think I know that voice, but I don't." She said weakly as the guards ushered them along. The psi ahead of them shook his head and paused at a door. He rapped on it with his knuckles and it opened. He waited for them to come close. Before he could speak, _Mara_ did. "I am very angry. I will not be able to hold my temper or my tongue. The doctor suggests a sedative. I shouldn't… I don't want to face her. Help? Please?" She begged.

"Family can hurt you faster and worse than anyone else." Syndrome said quietly. "With your powers activated, most mild sedatives won't work on you and anything stronger will put you out."

"Is _that_ why I was awake for that?" Mara stared and then broke off, grimacing. "Never mind. That is probably a secret you cannot share." The skull masked man nodded. "I am scared." She said in a tiny voice. "Can you help me? Please?" She begged. "I am really, _really_ scared. Of what I might do. Of what _she_ might do. I… I am scared."

"You have a right to it." The psi replied. "Thing is, I _can_ dampen your emotions." Mara perked up, but he held up a hand. "It would be a violation of your mind, Mara. I can take control of your emotions from you, but the big questions is, 'Should I'?"

"If I go in there as I am, I will hit Kristen or she will hit me." Mara said sadly. "Either one would be bad, no?" The skull masked man nodded slowly. "The needs of the many?" She asked the doctor who frowned.

"You _would_ quote Spock! The needs of the many _may_ often outweigh the needs of the few or the one, but that doesn't discount the impact _on_ the few _or_ the one." Cooper said with a frown. "Mara, this _will_ hurt you."

 _I can help her._ The mind within Cooper said mildly. _All you have to do is ask._

 _Go away!_ Cooper snapped in his mind and the other seemed to pout, but vanished. He wasn't fooled. It wasn't gone.

Mara took a deep breath and held out her hand to Syndrome who took it in both of his. Cooper expected a lightshow, some kind of energy discharge. But instead, Mara just smiled and relaxed. The psi nodded as he released her hand.

"Thank you." Mara said with a nod. "I feel calm for the first time in days."

"It is an _illusion_." Syndrome warned. "All I am doing is putting a cap on them. They are still there and they _will_ fester. My hold cannot keep them at bay forever. You will need to deal with them. But now is not the time."

"I know. Still, thank you." Mara rose to her full, not very impressive height and nodded to Cooper. "Shall we?"

"Let's." Cooper started for the door, Mara at his side. Syndrome flanked them as they entered the room.

The room was not small, but it seemed that way. The personalities inside it made it seem far more cramped than it was. It was actually fairly spacious and had a large table set in the middle with chairs all around in a conference style setup that wouldn't have been out of place in any hospital Cooper had ever worked at. It had no windows and all the other doors were closed. Colonel Kelly stood by one wall, her eyes on the trio as they entered. Major Kristen sat at the table in front of the Colonel, her eyes alight with anger as they bored into Cooper, but he took heart from the fact that her hands were cuffed together on the table. The Colonel was armed and armored, the Major was not. A dark skinned bald man in a lab coat stood near another man whose eyes were hooded. That man wore a harness that held a combat knife.

"Doctor Cooper, Mara." Colonel Kelly said with a nod. "Take a seat."

Cooper and Mara looked at one another, but did as instructed, taking seats as far from Kristen as they could. Mara refused to look at her sister. Instead, she focused on the man in the lab coat who frowned at her scrutiny.

"Please tell me you do not need to scan me again." Mara said in a totally unemotional voice. "That was most distressing."

Everything stopped. No one seemed to be _breathing_ as Colonel Kelly's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Syndrome…?" Colonel Kelly asked in a warning tone as all eyes landed on him. " _Why_ is she talking like _that_?"

"Because she begged me to help her remain in control, Shogun." Syndrome replied. Everyone but Cooper, Mara and Syndrome seemed to stiffen. "She is incredibly stressed by everything that has happened. She knows she will have to face the emotions, but she cannot handle them as she is. She needs time to parse them that she is not going to get today. She _begged_ me, boss. What was I going to say, 'No'? She is awake and aware. She is calm. I feel dirty doing it, but she begged me."

"Mara..." Kristen's voice was almost a whine. Mara ignored her, still focusing on the man in the lab coat who looked at the man with the knife.

"No." The man with the knife said with shake of his head. "We got everything we could from the scans we have done. And _no_ , doc." This was sour. "There will be _no_ exploratory surgery."

"It wouldn't help." Cooper said with a shake of his own head. All eyes landed on him and he shrugged. "The sponges mimic brain tissue in every way. They are designed to merge with a human brain and become part of it. Add to it, supplement it. Even if you _can_ discern the minor differences between normal grey matter and the sponge, it will hurt her to take part of it. It was never _intended_ to be removed."

"You son of a bitch!" Kristen started to rose, only to be slammed back into her seat by Colonel Kelly's rock hard hand on her shoulder.

"Sit! Down!" Kelly said with dreadful force as she pressed the woman back into her seat. Not being a complete idiot, the Major did as ordered. "You are here because the Commander thought you could add something to this discussion. If all you will add is _invective_ , I will obey my orders and toss you back into your quarters. You _might_ even be conscious when you land. Don't push me. I am very unhappy with you."

"I need to talk to her." Kristen said weakly.

"I don't think _she_ wants to talk to _you_." The man with the knife said quietly. "Mara?" Mara shook her head and the man's shoulders slumped. "Damn. Okay, I might as well start. I am Central. I run things aboard. This is Doctor Tygan. He runs our labs."

"You cannot let us leave now." Mara's words sent a shiver through Cooper, but he knew that too. He had seen too much, heard too much. They couldn't let him and Mara go.

"That is under discussion, Mara." Central said with a frown. "But probably not."

"Thank you for being honest." Mara nodded to him and he nodded back. "I will attempt to remain silent unless I am needed." She nodded to Cooper who slumped a bit.

"You already know everything I know about this situation from the interrogations." Cooper said with a frown. "That entity is likely watching and listening through me." He looked around and nodded. "Which is why this room is sealed and has no windows."

"One reason." Central agreed. "You and Mara are both traumatized. We have hurt you. We had no choice, but we did." Cooper nodded. "Despite the fact that you work for our enemies, our own soldiers say that you are not an evil man. We expected you to be, but you are not."

"I am not perfect." Cooper said slowly. "I did…" He broke off and stared at the table. "My experiments did kill some of the subjects and I do not know if they were volunteers or not. I was told they were, but… I do not know who to trust now. No offense."

"If you trusted us after all of this, I would question your sanity." Syndrome quipped. Central glared at him and he subsided.

"And now I find out I have an alien in my head and I have for who knows how long?" Cooper shook his head. "I am a mess." Mara laid her hand on his and he smiled at her even as Kristen hissed.

"Despite her issues, the Major has a good point." Central said with a frown. "You did alter Mara's mind."

"I did." Cooper said flatly. "I did not know her past when she came to me and I did not care. She needed help, I gave it."

"You enslaved her!" Kristen bit out.

"Did I?" Cooper asked slowly.

 _No, you did not._

Everything stopped as a familiar yellow form appeared hovering over the table. The alien sounded angry now.

 _But that is what_ **they** _want you to do._


	11. Chapter 11

**Spoilers for X-Com The Bureau: Declassified. Not a great game all things considered, (UI and controls SUCK) but for the most part a reasonable story.**

* * *

 **Chains**

"Syndrome!" Colonel Kelly snapped as her weapon appeared in her hand and she aimed, but the psi shook his head.

"It is a projection! It is not really there." The skull masked man had an odd device in hand now and it was forming a ball of lavender fire. "Still dangerous though."

 _Only if you threaten me or mine._ The alien's voice was soft, almost sad as it stared at Mara. _Oh child. No. No, I am not here to hurt you or him. Or anyone_ _if I can help it_ _. They do not remember. They will tear his mind to pieces, again, trying to find information he_ **doesn't have** _. As you say, he_ _h_ _as suffered enough. I cannot allow that. I am many things, I am not heartless. I have the information._ _I_ _f needed, I will give it to protect his life and yours_ _even though i_ _t_ _will cause far more problems than it solves_ _._ _Enslaving others never works out well in the end. Never._

"Who are you?" Central demanded, his hand up with another of the oddly shaped pistol things.

 _Who?_ **Who** _is but the_ **form** _, following the function of_ **what** _._ Was the alien _chuckling_ _?_ _And_ **what** _I am is fairly obvious, is it not?_

"Is this a good time for humor?" Cooper asked into the stunned silence that fell.

 _Would you prefer to laugh or cry? Humor can often serve as an icebreaker or a means of easing tension._ The other replied. _You humans are a fascinating species in so many ways. So like and unlike many of the others I have_ _studied_ _._

"You did this." Cooper mused. "You started me on this road. Why?" The alien looked at him and he was suddenly on his feet, ignoring the weapons that were aimed at him now as more soldiers entered the room and froze on seeing the apparition. "Why?" He demanded.

 _You are not ready for that._ The other sounded sad, so sad and Cooper felt a sudden weight land on him. He slid back into his seat and Mara had to help him sit up. _Rest, little one. You will need your strength._

"Hold your fire or you will hit friendlies! It is a mental projection!" Syndrome snapped as the doctor pulled some kind of device out of a pocket. "We cannot hurt it, but it _can_ hurt us."

 _Why would I wish to do that?_ The alien inquired mildly as it turned to look at Central. _You didn't get an answer, did you?_ Central growled something, but the other was unfazed. _You are all wearing the skins of Sectoids, I cannot_ _access_ _your minds_ _beyond simple communication_ _. He didn't answer._ It wasn't a question. _I wonder if he remembers himself. It has been a_ _very_ _long time the way you humans count time._ _Almost_ _four_ _of your generations and much has been lost to war and chaos._

"Who are you?" Mara's soft voice caught everyone off guard. Cooper stared at her and her eyes were alight with wonder, not fear. Whatever control Syndrome had given her had faded apparently. "You know us, may we know your name?"

 _Ah,_ _little_ _Mara…_ The alien heaved an all too human sigh. _The name I had was lost. The form I had was lost._ _Slain by an agent of their organization._

"What?" The incredulous word came from several people.

 _You believe you are the first group to fight extraterrestrial threats?_ The yellow form asked in a somewhat snide tone. _X-Com hasn't changed that much I see. Still clueless._

"Please." Mara said in a soft, sad voice "There is enough hate. Enough war. Enough death. Please." She begged.

 _I am not human,_ _little_ _Mara._ The other said gently. _Despite the fact that they cannot harm me at all, t_ _hey will attack. It is what they do. I cannot blame them for their hostility after all the Elders have done, but it is saddening._ _They will kill you both for what I have done. Or worse,_ _use you in awful ways_ _._

"You are not an Elder!" Mara's voice was heading into shrill range and Cooper clamped a hand on hers.

 _No but they cannot believe that._ The other said with another all too human sigh as soldiers took aim at Mara, Cooper and the glowing apparition. They had more of the odd weapons that had no muzzle, some kind of stun weapon probably. _I cannot allow this. Not_ **again** _._ Her tone turned stern. _Stand down, X-Com, this is your only warning. I never wanted to fight but I_ **will** _to protect my own._

For a long moment, no one moved. Then Colonel Kelly made a hand gesture. The room suddenly was glowing yellow. Or Cooper _saw_ it that way. The yellow tendrils swept out and caught both Cooper and Mara in their grip. Cooper relaxed, his entire body suddenly free of fear and pain. Mara slumped as well, a small smile forming on her face.

"No!" Kristen jerked up from her seat, throwing herself across the table towards Mara. "Leave her _alone_!"

She too was caught by the tendrils. No one else had moved. Or… He saw Central shoving Tygan down, but both were frozen? No, everything was simply moving _very_ slowly. One soldier was slowly squeezing her trigger and Cooper could see a blue flash start at the far end of the barrel like protuberance aimed at him. It was not like any weapon he had ever seen before. What was happening? Had everything slowed to the point of stopping?

 _Actually, you_ _and Mara_ _are moving faster than everyone else._ _I have accelerated your mind's ability to process data._ The alien told him as the muzzle that was glowing was suddenly shifted away from him by something he couldn't see. _It will not last long, but it will last long enough. You…_ Her focus landed on Kristen who held Mara's limp form. _Your hatred is strong. Is your love for your sister just as strong?_

" _Leave her alone!_ " Kristen screamed.

 _Your allies will kill her_ _trying to use her to further their own ends_ _._ The other said flatly. _Will you? You are inside the dilation field with us. Just a simple application of leverage on her neck and your sister will cease to be. As extended as I am, I cannot stop you. Will you kill her?_

"I..." Kristen was sobbing as she hugged Mara's still form. "No. I can't. God help me, I can't!"

 _If you believe_ **nothing** _else I say_ _, human,_ _then please believe this. I am_ **glad** _you cannot. There is enough death_ _on this world of yours already_ _and Mara is dear to me_ _._ The alien was calmer now as energy started to flare around her. _I am not a god nor a demon from your religions._ _I am simply a being with more power_ _than you_ _. In most situations, I am as limited as you are, if not more so. But here? Now? I can act_ _and I must to protect my loved ones_ _._ _Come, we will talk. All of us. But somewhere safer._

 _Stop!_ Another voice, a male sounding once, came from nowhere. It felt… blue? Why did Cooper think _that_? That made no sense at all. _Shamash! Stop! We are not enemies!_

 _No?_ The yellow alien said sadly. _Shamash is dead. William Carter killed her._ **You** _killed her._

 _I…_ The other mind sounded tired now. _I couldn't stop him. I thought I was helping him and I wasn't. I was driving him further into insanity. I didn't understand. I am sorry._

 _So am I._ The yellow alien said quietly. _Shamash was a slave to_ _the Zadjari_ _for millennia as your humans count time. She thought_ _your people_ _were different from Origin's minions. She was wrong._

 _What happened?_ The other begged. _I remember you crumpling, your energy_ _dissipating._ _.. I…_

 _I do not have time for this. You will_ **not** _stall me long enough for your pets to enslave._ The yellow alien was very upset now _._ _I will_ **not** _let you use my little ones to enslave others. I_ _did_ _not allow Advent to do it, and I will not allow_ **you** _to do it either._ _This is_ **your** _only warning, Asaru! Leave us_ **alone** _!_

 _They are not pets! They are allies. You can be too!_

 _Allies that you have_ **lied** _to._

With that, the yellow energy snapped around Cooper, Mara and Kristen. He felt his world turn in circles and his stomach rebelled. He felt every molecule of his form compress and…

He screamed as he landed on a solid surface. _Everything_ hurt. Soft hands touched him, checking his vitals professionally.

"He is suffering neural shock. But he is alive! We have him back!" A familiar voice! Ana! She sounded jubilant. "You got him and Mara free? But who is _this_?"

"That is Mara's sister." The voice of the alien was out loud now. It didn't sound the same, but it did. Odd. Cooper could hear Kristen whimpering nearby. He heard nothing from Mara and that frightened him. The other saw or felt his fear and moved to soothe him. "No, no, little one. It is all right. Be calm. Mara sleeps. She is overwrought and she will need a lot of rest to recover. As for _this_ one..." Her tone turned hard.

"She is my sister!" Kristen sounded awful, her voice raw and bleeding. "Leave her..." She gasped and fell silent.

"Mara's _sister_? The _X-Com operative_? Oh dear." Ana sounded worried now. "Get her into isolation. We need to check her for trackers and traps, but carefully."

"Yes, Ma'am." An unfamiliar male voice snapped out the words. Cooper cracked his eyes and groaned as pain stabbed into them. He closed them again. "What of these?"

"Mara needs rest now more than anything, poor dear. Get her into a bed. We should let her sleep until she wakes normally. She will wake hungry. I can ease this one but he will need more. That type of transit is jarring enough without an extra passenger. With one, I couldn't buffer him as I wished." The alien's voice was sad as a hand traced Cooper's brow. "I never intended _this._ I never wanted to hurt you, Cooper."

She sounded so sad, but her touch was gentle and whatever she was doing soothed the pain in his head.

"They will... chase us..." Cooper managed to say.

"Yes. Easy, little one. Easy." The other said quietly as strong hands lifted him off the hard surface and laid him on something that yielded. "They do not know any better. I don't want to do this, Ana. I don't. Cooper has a life here. The others have lives here. I don't want to leave but… We have no choice. With both the Elders _and_ X-Com hunting us, we cannot stay on this planet. Begin preparations for evacuation."

"Yes. Ma'am." Ana's voice sounded subdued now. "We are with you."

"I didn't give you much choice." The other said mildly, but Ana just chuckled.

"You gave us more choice than the _Elders_ would have." Ana reassured her. "And even if I _was_ X-Com? I don't remember that. I disliked the duplicity, but we have saved a lot of people."

"We have begun our evacuation preparations, Milady." Another female voice, stronger, older but totally in control, sounded from nearby.

" _What_ have I told you about calling me that, Weaver?" The alien demanded. Cooper jerked as whatever he was on started moving. He heard squeaking below him. Wheels? His eyes shot open and his head didn't hurt now. A hand cupped his cheek. "Don't move, little one. You are still hurt. You just do not feel it."

His eyes slowly closed of their own accord, but he wasn't afraid. Not now.

"Why do you call me that?" Cooper asked, confused. "I am not your child."

"In every way that matters, you _are_." The other replied. "I am responsible for everything that has happened to you. Good and bad. I am so sorry, little one."

"Did you shoot down our plane? Kill Helen?" Cooper managed through his shock.

"No." The other said quietly. "But I am pretty sure the defenses around my prison _did_. So in a way, I do bear some responsibility for your losses."

"Begging your pardon, Milady, but _bullshit_." The one called Weaver said sternly. "Do not start blaming yourself again."

"I said 'some', not 'all', Weaver. Geez." The other said in a long suffering tone as whatever Cooper was on bumped to a stop. "You have not changed a _bit_."

"Well, no." Weaver replied. "That was the plan." She spoke in another language, one that Cooper did not know. Someone else replied in the same language and she made a noise of approval. "They are ready for him. Mara is asleep and resting comfortably. The operative… We need more time."

"I will see what I can do to scramble the trackers." The alien said quietly. "For now? He needs ease. So many hurts, so many awful memories… Take him home. Rest, Little one. I am with you." A kiss touched his cheek and he stared as a dark shadow retreated. Did he know her? He couldn't see her clearly and then she was gone and a dark haired woman stepped into his view. She wore attire that looked incredibly old fashioned. _She_ looked tough and capable even without the long rifle that was slung over her shoulder. It was odd looking, green and brown. Angular. Definitely not human manufacture.

"I am Weaver." The woman said with a nod. "Sort of the major domo around here. My official title is warden. My _unofficial_ one is den mother." She said with a sour shake of her head.

"I don't know you. Do I?" Cooper said weakly, staring around. Weaver shook her head and Cooper looked around at his surrounding, confused. The room he was lying in looked _old_. The walls were tiled halfway up and _green_? Darker green low, lighter green higher up? The ceiling was some kind of green as well. The medical gear that surrounded him was archaic looking. Did any of it function? "What… What is going on?"

"You are about to be shifted into an airlock that leads into a secure biosphere." Weaver said with a nod. "I know this all looks weird to you. It looks weird to _me_ and I grew up with this stuff. But you need rest now. You really do. I don't know how she travels like that, but it takes a lot out of you. Your mind was wide open and the energy she used hurt you. You will be fine with care and rest. We will give you both. Lie back and let us work."

Her tone was firm. She would be obeyed. He knew the type and knew it would hurt if he crossed her. She reminded him, unsurprisingly, of Colonel Kelly.

"Would you use a wooden spoon or a rolling pin if I don't?" Cooper quipped. The woman smiled at him and nodded.

"I have been known to use both." Weaver replied. "Then again, I was supposed to run a prison, not herd a bunch of civilians." She shook her head. "Things change."

"That they do." Cooper felt something new.

Whatever he was on was moving again. But not all of it? Just the mattress or whatever he was on was sliding into something. He was suddenly in a small cylinder. He felt rather than saw something close behind him and then a hiss of air heralded pressures equalizing. Then he was sliding again. In bare moments, the movement stopped and he was surrounded by damp air. But the humidity didn't feel overpowering. It felt comfortable.

"We have him." A totally unexpected voice sounded from nearby and Cooper's eyes flew open. He stared up at Imam Robinson who smiled at him. "Hello Doctor."

"I thought Advent had you." Cooper said weakly as several forms moved close and several sets of hands took hold of whatever he was lying on, lifting it easily.

"They did." The Imam laid a hand on Cooper's as the man was carried somewhere else. "But the Lady chose to take us in. She did something to the minds of our guards and our transport landed in her domain instead of an Advent prison. It was a shock but not a bad one."

"The Lady?" Cooper asked carefully. "Why do I get the feeling you are not talking about Weaver?'

"Weaver is many things." The Imam said with a frown. "But she is not a lady most of the time. Oh, she can be the ultra sophisticated sort, if she chooses, but she is far more comfortable doing things than giving orders or looking petty. No. The Lady is our benefactor. She saved us. She is the one who saved Valere."

"She..." Cooper swallowed hard as the litter or whatever he was on was laid down. The Imam nodded to him and retreated with the others.

"Hello Doctor." Another unexpected voice sounded from nearby and Cooper spun his head to see Kerry sitting nearby. The girl wore an odd white suit that was not very flattering, but covered her completely from neck to toes. She also wore a white cap of some kind. The garb looked familiar. Some kind of nurse's attire from way back when? He wasn't sure. She smiled at his befuddled expression. "I know this is very confusing. It was for me and all of us. But the Lady was kind and patient. She explained and while it is not ideal, it is far better than the lives we had. We swore to her, despite her wishes."

"I do not understand." Cooper said weakly.

"I know." Kerry's face was sad now. "You are hurt. You need help. We will help you."

She made an odd clicking noise in her throat and Cooper felt hands on his head, turning it back upright. They were _not_ human hands. He stared up at... Was that a Sectoid? It looked far smaller than the ones he had seen in Advent's service. He could swear it smiled at him as energy poured from its hands and the pain that had been growing in his head wavered and vanished.

 _Welcome home, Doctor Cooper._ The alien said in a kind voice. It was neither male nor female, but its mind felt old. And familiar! He knew this being! But...from where? _You have been gone from us far too long._

 _I…_ Cooper could barely speak past the bliss that swept through his skull. _I know you._

 _Yes._ The other said gently, _You do not remember. The trauma you endured, the horror you_ _faced_ _was too much even for a mind such as yours._ The hands withdrew and the Sectoid was fading from Cooper's vision. Or _he_ was fading. _We did what we could. It does not seem enough._ _But it is good to see you, old friend._

Kerry was at Cooper's side now and she held out a glass with a straw. Cooper stared around, but the Sectoid was gone.

"None of them like crowds." Kerry admitted. "The others have heard you are here by now. They will all want to see you. To thank you."

"For _what_?" Cooper demanded. "All I did was get you all caught by Advent!"

"We were going to kill you, doctor." Kerry said softly, her face falling. "Even as useful as you were, we were going to kill you as soon as we realized Ana was a psi. Ana confused me and I probably would have died as well. The Lady couldn't allow that. She acted. She was gentle. She was in time to save Valere, but there was damage. My friend won't ever be the same."

"I got her killed!" Cooper said savagely. "Advent was looking for _me!_ " Kerry shook the glass and he stared at her. "She helped me and I got her _killed_."

"I got better." Cooper stared as _Valere_ stepped into view. Her head was bulged under her short hair.

Almost like a _Sectoid's!_


	12. Chapter 12

**Relating**

"Valere?" Cooper asked, utterly flummoxed.

"Yes." The girl with the huge head said with a smile that fell. Her eyes were not human either! Her pupils were pure black! "I know I don't look as I did. I know I look more alien than human now. But I am alive. The Lady helped Peter replace parts of my brain. You know how much damage was done."

"Not entirely." Cooper admitted. "But I suspected. Your motor control?"

"The Advent railgun round tore through that part of my brain, yes. The lost tissue was replaced. My memories were mostly saved." Valere sat beside him, her hand reaching out to Kerry who took it. "But as the Lady says, she is not a goddess. She cannot do miracles."

"I beg to differ, You were _dead_." Cooper said grimly.

"Was I?" Valere asked, her face serene. "I don't know. I woke up in her embrace and Peter's. I was terrified and she soothed me."

"You were dead." Cooper repeated. "I did everything I could."

"I know." Valere said quietly. "And while I do not think you need it, you have my forgiveness." Cooper stared at her and she shrugged. "Advent was scouring the area before you came. They knew we were somewhere in that area. They would have found us sooner or later. We would have fought and we would have all died. Your arrival simply hastened the inevitable. With Ana and Peter there, no one else died."

"I..." Cooper swallowed hard and Kerry looked at her friend beseeching.

"What happened to me was tragic, but it was not your fault." Valere said flatly. "Right now? You need to drink what Kerry has for you. It will help you sleep. Something you desperately need right now. The human mind is not set up to handle the kind of power that the Lady had to use to get you and Mara out of where you were. Add to that, while you sleep, she can explain."

"Explain?" The doctor was well beyond punch drunk now.

"Yes and the explanation will hurt." Valere said quietly. "It hurt _me_ and I didn't even experience it anything but second hand from the Lady's own pain. Please doctor. Mara is waiting and she is not exactly waiting patiently."

"Do I want to know?" Cooper asked as he nodded to Kerry. The girl held the straw to his lips and he drank. Whatever it was -it wasn't water- it tasted heavenly!

"Nothing bad." Valere said with small smile. "But that girl is bright. She had more questions than a room full of scholars who have all been drinking pre-Fall non-diet sodas." Cooper stared at her even as his head fell back onto whatever it was one. Everything was getting fuzzy. "Good thing the Lady has more patience than a human could ever hope to have."

He was falling as he heard Kerry chuckle. But he wasn't afraid. He was suddenly flying instead of falling and was fast approaching a rectangle of light. He stepped into it and it was a room. Inside, Mara sat on the floor, cross legged, her attention on the yellow from that hovered in mid air in the middle of the otherwise empty room. He couldn't see the ceiling, but the walls and floor were yellow.

"...and you say that the speed of light is immutable?" Mara asked, her eyes on the yellow form. "So… how could the various races travel to Earth? It would have taken millennia to travel through space if they cannot go faster than that."

"For some it _did_ take millennia, Mara. My kind travel that way at times. Teleporting is incredibly dangerous if you do not know where you are going. For others? There are various ways, but you are not ready for the math required." The yellow form turned and Cooper felt drawn to it. Why? He felt it was so familiar. "Ah Cooper. Mara has many questions, but I know you do too."

"I am sorry." Mara babbled a little, but the other soothed her somehow and the girl subsided.

"You think I will berate you for having _curiosity_ and the _courage_ to _indulge_ it?" The yellow form asked, to all sounds incredulous. "Mara." She chided the girl, but it was teasing.

"Where do I know you from?" Cooper asked softly as he padded to where Mara sat. He sat beside her. He knew, somehow, that he was in no danger here. Mara eyed him and he shook his head. "I need to know. You are not Helen. I know that."

"No." The other said sadly. "By the time I woke up completely, she was beyond my power. I tried. I failed. I am sorry, Doctor Cooper. I couldn't save any but you."

"You..." Cooper swallowed hard, Mara took his hand and gave it a squeeze, but did not speak.

"I do not know what happened to your aircraft." The alien continued quietly. "I was not awake and the record keeping devices failed years before the incident. I suspect it crossed the no-fly zone around my prison and was targeted by weapons as a result, but I do not know for sure. I was confused. The being I had come from was hurt, very badly. She dissipated, most of her energy returning to the cosmos that spawned her so long ago."

"You said X-Com killed her." Cooper said softly.

"No, actually I didn't. They didn't." The other corrected him grimly. "An _operative_ of X-Com killed her in defiance of orders not to. He thought she was enslaving him and I don't know. Maybe she was? My memories of the one who birthed me are not always clear."

"'Birthed' you?" Cooper queried, not at all sure about this.

"Shamash was a life bearer and old even for an Ethereal." The yellow form was sad now. "It is not like human reproduction at all. You do not have the words in any of your languages for what she did. She had been a slave to a race called the Zadjari for millennia before she perished. In the end, it was her fault, what happened to her there, but I don't think anyone could have anticipated what occurred. _She_ certainly didn't."

"What happened?" Mara asked.

"Pride." The yellow alien said quietly. "She bonded to a scientist and tried to help him learn better ways to advance his people. He realized she was there and managed to devise a way to enslave her. Once he did that, he used her to power a massive interconnection matrix that turned his whole people into one mind, guided by him of course. Once he had taken over, he looked for more. He always wanted more. The Zadjari destroyed their world and came looking for a new one. They chose Earth and that was not wise of them. Humans are nothing if not tenacious, adaptable and dangerous to make desperate."

"Pride and greed?" Cooper asked. "How very human."

"Your people have the saying 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions'." The alien replied with a chuckle that had very little humor in it. "It is apt for more than just your people. He kept saying he was trying to make things better, but his _methods_..." The hovering form seemed to shudder.

"So Shamash died." Mara said slowly. "She was your mother?"

"The short answer is yes, Mara." The alien said with a frown in her voice. "The long answer will take a while." Cooper and Mara looked at each other and then at the alien who laughed. "And yes, that is why you are here. For long winded exposition while your bodies rest and heal."

"I don't know where to start. The beginning, I guess." Cooper said slowly. He paused. "You saved me the day the plane crashed."

"I did." The other reached out with two of her transparent hands and took Copper's in them. Odd that she could touch him, but this wasn't real. Was it? "And I do know how much it hurt you to survive when your Helen did not. When your child did not." Cooper bowed his head and he could feel her grief matching his own. "I am so sorry, Cooper. I tried to save her. I tried to save your young. I couldn't."

"I do not understand." Mara said weakly. "You saved me. You saved Ana and Peter. Why not Cooper's Helen?"

"I was too late. I woke to the sound of humans screaming." The alien was speaking slowly and carefully. "I did not know what was happening. I did not know why it was happening. But my kind bond with corporeal forms to influence the world around us. We are energy and that makes us both less and more capable than your forms."

"You bonded to me." Cooper repeated slowly.

"I did." The other was so sad. "You had been thrown through the wall of your aircraft on impact and suffered a mortal wound as a result. Your neck was broken. I woke and reached for the first thing I could sense. You." Cooper stared at the floor and her other two hands came down and held his shoulders as he started to shudder. "Your emotions stunned me. I did not understand at first why you felt the way you did. As soon as I did, I attempted to rescue Helen or recover any of her mind. But I was too late. I was too weak, too slow and too weak to save the one you loved. I am sorry, Cooper." Her voice was so abject now. "I am so sorry."

Mara stared from the alien to Cooper and back. "But… Everyone says _I_ was dead..."

"You were. You were hit by a plasma weapon and went into immediate systemic shock from the pain and energy discharge." The alien said quietly. "The Advent forces that recovered your body gave you immediate medical care in the hopes of interrogating you and/or giving you to Cooper to be programmed. They resuscitated you, but the damage was extreme. You died again and again on your way to the hospital. Ana handled your initial exam and when she did, I touched you through her."

"You brought me back." Mara stammered.

"You were on the brink, not completely gone." The alien swept two tendrils to Mara who caught them and hugged them tight. "Bringing you back was far easier than bringing Ana or Peter back."

"What?" Cooper asked, confused. "Oh yeah. You brought _them_ back too."

"Advent thought you did it." The alien said quietly. "I encouraged them to think that. You did not. They also believed you enslaved them. I encouraged them to believe that too. You did not. I could never talk to any of you openly for fear of being observed by an agent of the Elders, but I could nudge you here and there."

"I still don't understand." Mara said weakly. "If you couldn't help Cooper's wife, how could you help _us_?"

"When Ana and Peter were brought into Cooper's lab, they were clinically dead." The alien said softly. "But their bodies were mostly intact. I had been studying so much while Cooper had been focused on his own work. I wanted to find a way to bring his wife back." Cooper stiffened and the alien made a soft noise of despair. "But that has eluded me. By the time I was powerful and aware enough to reach her mind, it was gone completely. Even if time travel is possible, I cannot do it and I highly doubt it _is_ possible. Probably a good thing. I would likely mess things up. Advent knew of Cooper's experiments with the sponges. They knew that he had managed to calm patients with various psychosis. I helped a bit, but most of the work was his. They wanted to see what else he could do. They wanted to see if he could make the perfect slaves. I would not allow that though. You are not a slave, Mara. Ana and Peter are not slaves."

"They were not dead." Cooper objected weakly. "They were both hurt, but they were not dead."

"When you looked at them, they were not." The alien agreed. "But _I_ looked first and I could move very fast. I had spent years working out how to heal almost anything that can happen to humans outside of total disintegration." She looked away. "Or complete incineration. It was not easy, hiding the fact that I revived them from both Advent and you, Cooper, but I did."

"Both had been dead long enough for their memories to degrade." Cooper mused.

"Yes." The alien said quietly. "Even with refrigeration, most of the chemicals that made up their memories degraded too far to be recovered. Nothing can bring those back. They are not who they were. _You_ however..." She turned her huge head to face Mara who bowed her own head. " _You_ I could save almost intact and I am glad I did."

"Thank you." Mara said in a tiny voice. Cooper opened an arm to her and she snuggled close.

"You are very welcome, Mara." The alien said kindly. "There is enough death and destruction in the world. I am glad to have saved a life even if you can never be who you were."

"I don't like who I was." Mara said with a frown. "I saw who I was in my memories and she was _such_ a _bitch_."

"Well, then I am glad to have brought you here, even with all the complications." The alien replied. "You have a chance to be someone new here. I will not ask you to do anything you find morally repugnant." She made a sour noise. "Please, if I ask something you find distasteful? _Say so_. I have far too many people who will follow me blindly as it is."

"They call you 'Lady'." Cooper was thoughtful.

"Yeah." The alien sounded even more sour now. "I keep telling them I am not an angel or any other kind of divine messenger. But they see what I can do and call it 'miracles'. It makes me feel very uncomfortable. The Elders demand worship. I do not want that. I am not a goddess. My...creator was worshiped on occasion. It rarely ended well. The inmates here were all asleep along with their jailers until I woke. I um… We made a bit of a mess, Cooper."

"Inmates?" Mara asked, eyes going wide.

"This was a prison, Mara." The alien said gently. "They did not know whether or not Shamash would come back. She was utterly alien to their understanding of the universe. So… They prepared as best they could."

"X-Com?" Mara asked softly.

"They were 'The Bureau of Operations and Command' at the time, but yes." The alien said quietly. "This facility was heavily damaged in the fighting with Origin's pawns. Almost all of the humans who had been here were killed. Not all, but most. Instead of rebuilding here, they decommissioned it and planned to revamp the remainder as a secure facility to store… valuable materials."

"Why I get the feeling I am not going to like this?" Cooper asked as a chill went through him.

"You did not like it the first time." The other replied. "When I bonded to you, I was barely coherent. _You_ were a mess, both physically and mentally. You needed help and I was too weak to do everything that had to be done after healing your neck. I found others who were willing to help and they did. I promised them freedom and I gave it to them when they had pulled you from the fire, tended your wounds the best they could. I didn't expect what happened next."

"What happened?" Mara asked softly.

"They demanded to stay." The alien chuckled a bit ruefully. She sounded more human than many humans that Cooper had met. "Their world was gone. The Zadjari had taken it and destroyed it in doing so. They were refugees in every way even before the Bureau took them prisoner."

"When was this?" Cooper asked suddenly. Mara stared at him and he shook his head. "The walls, the equipment, Weaver's and Kerry's clothing, it was all old. _Very_ old."

"Yes." The alien said quietly. "Almost eighty of your years. After the Zadjari were defeated -and _that_ is a long story in and of itself- the Bureau erased the truth. Most humans never knew how close humanity came to be wiped out or enslaved by Mosaic. Not until the next invasion by the Elders. But there were problems." She made a sad noise. "They knew that they had been lucky, very lucky. They wanted to keep records and materials in case of a repeat occurance. They planned to use this place as a records repository. But when they came, they were shocked to find that they had _not_ killed all of the aliens on Earth."

"Oh dear." Cooper took a deep worried breath, but the alien touch on his arm steadied him, calmed him.

"Yes. There was small community of former Zadjari slaves here." The alien explained."When Mosaic was destroyed, they fled, found hiding places wherever they could to escape the Bureau's vengeance. They were and are skilled builders. The Zadjari were almost all warriors, _someone_ had to build things and repair things that broke."

"And the humans found them." Cooper winced. "I think I can see where this is going."

"Yes." The alien said sadly. "They traded one set of masters for another. I suppose, in their own way, the Bureau was being merciful. The humans _could_ have simply exterminated them all. There were not that many of them. You met one a few minutes ago. X-Com calls them Sectoids."

"Sectoids..." Cooper said weakly. "That was one of them that healed me before I came in here."

"Yes." The other had a smile in her voice now. "You impressed them greatly when you first met them. All they had known from humans was violence and fear. You were hurt, bleeding from several places and even in your horrific grief and pain, all you were worried about was _their_ well being."

"He _didn't!_ " Mara's voice held awe now.

"Oh yes, he did." The alien chuckled as Cooper blushed. "You don't remember, but as soon as you were lucid, we explained. They wanted to live. To be free. So did I. But we knew that the world was under attack again. Not by the Zadjari, but by something _worse_. Beings like me. If the Elders had discovered _me_..."

Naked fear sang in her tone now and Cooper was moved to lay his hands on hers. Here, he could so that and did. Mara too the other two hands in her own. He was no psi, but he sent what comfort he could to her.

"It is all right." Cooper wasn't sure why he was suddenly calming the immensely powerful alien, but she did subside a little. "They didn't."

The alien form turned to face him and her tone was warm now.

"Only because of what you did."


	13. Chapter 13

**Funny**

"What did I do?" Cooper asked softly as Mara stared from him to the alien.

"Ah, Cooper." The alien said with a tiny laugh. "What do you _ever_ do?" Her tone should have been snide, but the humor in it was too much and both Mara and Cooper smiled at her.

"I heal." Cooper shook his head. "But if you were in a prison, I couldn't heal _that_."

"No. But not for lack of _trying_." The alien chuckled again.

"Why do you laugh so much?" Mara asked suddenly. Cooper and the alien both looked at her and she shook her head. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, but you laugh a _lot._ I cannot imagine any of the aliens I have met laughing."

"I am sure they do." The yellow form in front of the two humans said mildly. "Humor is something that pretty much transcends species. They may not _understand_ each others' amusement, but almost every sentient race that I know of has some thing that they derive humor from. Human senses of humor took a bit of getting used to and even now I am not sure I have." She chuckled. "But I give as good as I get so it is all good. Ever since I woke, I find I prefer to laugh rather than to cry or scream. I do not know if it is Cooper's influence or something else." Cooper stared at her and then paled. "Little one?" She asked Cooper, worried.

"Helen..." Cooper swallowed as both Mara and the alien tried to comfort him. "Helen always said that. I..."

"Oh." The alien seemed to wilt a little. Not possible, of course, but it seemed to. "I tried everything I could think of to save her. Maybe I absorbed some of her memory? I don't know. I didn't mean that, Cooper. She… She is gone."

"I know." Cooper said weakly as the others held him. He couldn't stop shivering. "I just… I feel..."

Something wafted from the alien. It looked like a wave of shimmering air. It caressed Cooper and everywhere it touched, his shivers stopped. In moments it had surrounded him in warmth and he was breathing slowly, his grief lowered to a manageable level.

"Why can't I be like Ana and Peter?" Cooper begged as the others held him. "Why do I have to remember?"

"Our experiences define us, Cooper." The alien said quietly. "No matter the species, that remains a constant across every race I have studied. Good or bad, what we experience in life shapes us as sentient beings. You are who and what you are because of what you have endured. You demand the chance to keep others from suffering what you did. You were always a pain in the butt, but you were right in almost everything. You needed to get out. You needed to do what you did We did not need you here and you were stagnating. You didn't act out, but it as only a matter of time until you did. None of us wanted you to go. But you needed it."

"But not alone." Cooper said as the grief finally released him.

"I wasn't _about_ to let you out into the world alone." The alien said sternly. "Whether I was indirectly responsible for what happened or not, you had suffered the worst shocks that any of us could imagine. Every one of us felt your horror and pain. We felt your determination to keep going. To heal. We could not lock you in a cage for the rest of your life. We all knew the cost of that. We were preparing to let you out into the world when you took the choice out of our hands."

"I… what?" Cooper asked. The alien looked at him and Cooper flushed. "I don't remember."

"That is a _very_ good thing." The alien said firmly. "You are not strong enough yet, little one. Please. Trust me in this. You are not. X-Com hurt you very badly and Mara's sister did as well."

"Kristen..." Mara winced. "She came along."

"Yes." The alien heaved another all too human sigh. "All three of you have been tagged with trackers both technological and psionic. You and Mara I can and have been dealing with. But your sister..." Mara made a face, but the alien spoke a bit sharper. "She is is still your sister no matter your current feelings, Mara. She thought you were dead and that Cooper had done something horrible to your corpse. How would _you_ have reacted if it had been _her_?"

"The old me probably would have laughed." Mara said weakly. "I wasn't a good person."

"And now?" The alien's tone moderated, turning soothing.

"Now?" Mara crumpled a little. "I… I don't _know!_ " She said weakly.

"Mara." Cooper reached out and took Mara into his arms again. "How much of this is your anger at what happened to me?"

"About half." Mara admitted. "The rest? It is all a jumble. I am not in love with you, I know that. But I still have feelings for you. That is not bad, is it?"

"No." The alien said before Cooper could find his tongue. "It is not. Without feelings, humans are nothing but robots. Mara, you went through a horrific experience. You died and not once but several times on your way to Cooper. You are _going_ to have scars from that. We are here to help you."

"But I have to want to get better." Mara nodded slowly. "And even now, I am not sure I want to. I was so angry, so ready to fight. But you kept pushing me. You kept making me talk to you." She mock glowered at Cooper.

"Advent couldn't allow you to act out, Mara." Cooper said quietly. "You had to be part of the whole or they would have acted to protect their security. I encouraged you, with drugs and other means, to forget your previous life. To focus on the now. I did brainwash you."

"No, you didn't. The word 'brainwash' implies malicious intent, Cooper." The alien's tone was quiet, reflective. "Even at your worst, you never forced anyone into a mold they truly didn't want." She chuckled. "Not that I would have let you do that, but I didn't need to nudge you on that. You found what _they_ wanted and altered the program to suit them. To find ways to fit them into society. If that was brainwashing? It wasn't an evil form of it."

"You were watching and influencing things this whole time." Cooper said slowly.

"I wasn't going to let you out into the wide cruel world without at least keeping a distant eye on you, little one." The alien said sternly. "You were and are dear to me. You were the first human I bonded to. That in and of itself was special. But then I failed you. I failed you so badly." Mara and Cooper both stiffened from the pain the other was projecting and it suddenly cut off. "I… I need to finish explaining. Then I will let your memories loose. I will show you what happened. Why you do not remember. I do not want to." Her tone was abject now. "I do not want to hurt you. But I must or I am no better than Advent or X-Com. Both lie for their own ends and to hell with the consequences. Advent just makes them go away and X-Com? They kill whoever they must to solve the problem. I am not them. _Either_ of them."

Mara stared at the alien and then at Cooper, her face ashen. Cooper just sat, thinking. Then he nodded slowly.

"One question." Cooper said into the heavy silence. The alien turned her form so that it faced him. "You know what it is."

"Yes." The yellow form said in a very quiet voice. "You did it yourself. We were busy with so many things. That is no excuse, but..." She broke off as Cooper laid his hands on hers that had still clasped his shoulders.

"I didn't think your kind could love." Cooper said softly, squeezing the hands that felt nothing like human flesh.

"The Elders have moved beyond such base emotions." The other replied. "But me? I am young. Less than twenty of your years old. I love all of the ones who have fallen into my circle. Ana, Peter, -and yes, I love you too Mara-" Mara pinked at that, but the other continued. "The Sectoids, the others you saved, Imam Robinson and all his flock. They are all good people if not always nice. They have had to endure awfulness and have been changed by it. I showed them that not all aliens are evil or bent on destruction. But you? You were my first. No matter what else happens, you will always have a firm place in my love as my first." She paused as Cooper made a strangled sound. "What?"

"Your… _first_?" Cooper couldn't help a goofy grin and Mara slapped a hand to her mouth to hide a smile.

"Get your mind out of that gutter!" The alien said sternly, but she _was_ chuckling. "Geez, you humans and your reproduction jokes. That is just..." Cooper fought back a snicker, but not very hard and she laughed. "You are _bad_ , Cooper. So very bad."

"Guilty as charged." Cooper took a deep breath, but he was smiling as he shook his head. "And speaking of guilty… You said this was a prison."

Just like that, the mood changed. It was lighter than it had been, but he could feel the alien's mind shift from humor to calm.

"Yes." The alien sounded and felt calm, but Cooper knew she was tense. Somehow. "Much as I denigrate them and refuse to underestimate their brutality, X-Com is rarely composed of fools. After the Zadjari invasion, there was a lot of clean up. Much of the material was destroyed or placed in areas that humans had great difficulty reaching." She scoffed. "Not that X-Com worried about the ecosystem at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, but hey. Not _their_ problem."

Cooper gave her hands a squeeze and Mara smiled at him as she did the same for the other two.

"They killed your mother." Mara said quietly. "Of course you are going to be angry with them."

"No, the one who killed Shamash spent the remainder of his days in a straitjacket, locked in a padded room." The alien replied. "It wasn't entirely his fault, but he did pull the trigger."

"I don't remember my parents." Mara said softly. "Even in the memories that X-Com pulled up, I didn't see them."

"Knowledge is not always a blessing, Mara." The alien said quietly. "Sometimes it is the worst curse imaginable." Mara stared at the yellow form and then nodded. "Anyway, this place… X-Com had found a colony of Sectoids who had remained after the Zadjari left. They expected to die when they were found, but X-Com was not that merciful. The one who led the agents here was not a kindhearted soul. If William Carter had found them, they would have died, but Angela Weaver was nowhere near his level of empathy."

"Weaver." Cooper stiffened. "The woman I met?"

"The same." The alien said with a growl. "She has changed. Some. She..." The alien paused and then she continued. "She decided to use the Sectoids to build the facility here. She reported their presence and her superiors told her to and I quote 'handle the situation'." Cooper inhaled and the alien made noise of agreement. "Yes. They expected her to kill them all. But like I said, she is not that nice."

"Did they resist?" Mara asked. "The Sectoids?"

"No." The yellow form said sadly. "They knew their lives would be over as soon as they finished their work. No one would have blamed them for delaying or sabotaging the work. They didn't. They built the facility to the standards X-Com demanded, even though said standards are well below what they normally considered 'good work' and then they moved into a large room they had just built, formed a group, almost two hundred of them and waited to be gunned down."

"No!" Mara said weakly, but Cooper just shook his head.

"They didn't, did they?" Cooper asked. "X-Com?"

"No." The alien sounded relived. "You see, it is easy to hate, when you are fighting a war. It is so easy to fight when the only alternative is death. Even Weaver, as bitter and jaded as she was, was shaken by the Sectoids calm acceptance of their fates. It hadn't been that long since the end of World War II and the revelations of what had occurred in Europe and Asia. The horrors that your people perpetrated on each other. All sides.. X-Com had its share of veterans of that conflagration. Weaver could not simply gun them down, but she was also stuck. She had to 'handle the situation'. So, she looked for alternatives."

"Wait..." Cooper's felt his eyes bulge. "She said she had been warden, but… This was a long time ago by your words. She isn't any older."

"No. She is not." The alien said with a smile in her tone. "What better possible repository of information about an alien invasion than people who had survived one with examples of the equipment they had used to defeat it?"

"What?" Mara demanded. Cooper looked at her and she flushed. "You are not _saying_..."

"The Sectoids knew how to build stasis systems that worked for both their people and humans." The alien replied. "No one knew if Shamash would come back or not. She was energy, not really flesh. But she was material enough for several .45 caliber bullets to end her existence. When she died, a residue was left in the reactor, a residue that no one could analyze or explain. They were worried she would return. She did not. But over the decades, that residue of energy coalesced into a form. Me."

"You." Cooper inhaled and the alien looked at him. "You came from her death. But you remember."

"I do." The yellow hovering form said quietly. "It took years for my form to build up in the reactor. There was no one here awake to see. The energy accumulated slowly. As it did, the memories also reformed. An Ethereal is not, strictly speaking, mortal the way you think of such, but she was vulnerable at that particular moment. She did not expect such an attack. She died. What _was_ her focus faded from existence. I came from her death. I am not her. Good thing too." She said sourly. The humans stared at her and she made noise of disgust "Her final wish was to scour the Earth to kill both the Zadjari and humans. After all, the Zadjari had enslaved her for centuries and humans had just done the same. They had rescued her, but had locked her in a cage as well. They might have been gentle, but I doubt it. They would have poked and prodded her to study her. I think she welcomed death. But she _had_ been contemplating wiping out all life on Earth just prior to that."

"Ouch." Cooper said with a wince. "So, you woke up when I arrived. You bonded to me, but couldn't pull me out of the fire. So you woke the Sectoids and they helped me."

"Two of them were badly burned pulling you out of the fire." The alien said quietly. "You tended their wounds. You didn't know what you were doing, where you were, why it hurt so much. All you knew was that several people had pulled you out of a fire and two had been burned." She was crying now. "I helped. It was all I could do as shocked as I was at everything. You tended their wounds and then collapsed."

"As badly hurt as I was, I am surprised I managed that." Cooper said weakly. "But where did Weaver come from?"

"She and a hand picked selection of agents, as well as an engineering team and two scientists had volunteered to go into stasis." The alien said with a sound that might have been a sigh or a groan. Hard to say. "She was tired. She had been fighting for a long time and she had no family left. She only had the Bureau and they..." The alien made a sound of disgust. "They saw a _woman_. Not a _soldier_."

"I don't understand." Cooper said slowly. "I mean, she is a woman, but just looking at her, she is _not_ one to cross."

"No, she is not." The alien agreed with a small laugh. "But come on, Cooper You have studied history. 1962 in the US. What was the lot of a woman in that time?" Cooper stared at her and then hissed. "Yes. You begin to see."

"Oh crap." Cooper said weakly, Mara looked blank and he shook his head. "Mara, at that time, society was changing, but it hadn't yet. Even in the US, as advanced as it was in some ways, there were many laws that specified making women and people of different backgrounds second class citizens. Denying them many chances." Mara looked even more blank and Cooper made a face. "I know you studied the Civil Rights Movement."

"Yeah, but it made no _sense_ to me!" Mara exclaimed. "I mean, _really_? Judging a person by the _color_ of their _skin_? How the _hell_ is _that_ scientific?"

"It is not." Cooper and the alien both said at once. They shared a chuckle.

"Humans have always judged other humans by appearance, Mara." The hovering alien said sadly. "Then they always come up with ways to justify those judgments. It rarely makes any sense at all but that has never stopped them. Not until the Elders came and the survivors were merged into cities that had nothing to do with old boundaries or separations. Advent cracked down _hard_ on anyone who acted out. One of the _few_ things I think they got right was stepping so hard on open prejudice."

"We never did see hate crimes in the city centers." Cooper mused. "Or they covered them up quickly."

"Could be either." The alien agreed. "Thing is, Weaver saw where things were going. She would be put behind a desk or 'retired'. She had been a very good field agent and wanted to keep doing that, but they wouldn't let her. Since she knew far too much _about_ far too much for anyone's peace of mind, her 'retirement' might very well have been a grave." Mara slumped back at that, her face slack in shock. "X-Com is not nice. To its enemies _or_ its own."

"So she came here." Mara said weakly.

"Yes, she and a team of her fellows. A team who she had fought beside. Who trusted her beyond all reason." The alien was sad now. "She gave up her future in the hope of saving Earth again. And she was forgotten. Most records were destroyed and what little was left did not survive the Elder's coming."

"So where was she when you woke up?" Cooper asked, concerned.

"The stasis system wasn't perfect. The Sectoids were good, but they were forced to use Earth materials to make things and those simply cannot last as long as their usual materials did." The alien replied. "An earthquake in the area damaged the facility. The automated waking protocols were destroyed along with several pods. She was one of _three_ human survivors. And she wasn't awake when… When you..." She broke off and Cooper jerked as her face turned to his and her pain that he could feel was increasing.

"What did I do?" Cooper asked.

"You tried to bring your fiance back."


	14. Chapter 14

**Frank**

"I..." Cooper shook his head. "I _what_?"

"No. You are not ready for that." The alien said with a sound that was almost a snarl. "I shouldn't have said that. I won't hurt you again."

"I need to know." Cooper pleaded.

"No." The alien took its hands from Mara who sat frozen, her face pale. "You need rest now more than knowledge that _will_ hurt you. It wasn't your fault, my fault, or _anyone's_ fault. But it _did_ hurt you. It hurt everyone and we all blame ourselves. I won't let you do that to yourself again. Once was _enough_!"

" _WHAT DID I DO?_ " Cooper screamed and tried to rise, but the alien had him in all four of her hands now and the tendrils swept in.

 _ **Sleep.**_

The word hit him like a hammer and he was falling out of the alien's grasp. Slowly, so slowly. Mara helped catch him and her face was bleak. He tried to reassure her, but his mouth wasn't working right. He saw her eyes glisten and a tear escape. Then he knew no more.

* * *

Some time later

When Cooper woke, he was lying on a bed in a room that looked archaic. Instead of metal walls, polished until they gleamed, the walls were tile and what looked like plaster. He looked around, but he was alone in the small… No, it wasn't a room. It was a cubicle of some kind, made by a screen that hung from the ceiling on a rail. There were two walls of tile and plaster, the other two were made by the curtain. A harsh white light buzzed overhead.

A familiar voice spoke up form nearby and he listened.

"...and even with all the new help, the repairs to the hangar door will take at least two more days." Weaver sounded calm, but under her tone lay tension. "The ship took quite a bit of damage from the earthquake as well, but we focused on that. It was never designed to have a _roof_ fall on it."

"If it takes two days, then it takes two days." The voice of the alien replied. She sounded tired. "Cooper is awake. He is rested and as calm as he can be. I should… I need to let him see."

"Milady..." Weaver sounded upset now.

"It is _no one's_ fault, Weaver." The alien said sternly. "Least of all _yours_. Can you stay?" Was she begging?

"After everything you have done for us, try and tear me away." Weaver replied with just a hint of heat.

"Ah, no." The alien said a bit weakly. Steps approached and Cooper braced himself. "I am not that stupid."

"Wise incorporeal extraterrestrial." Weaver said to a chuckle from the other.

The hanging curtain was pulled away and Cooper stare d as two female human forms approached. One was Weaver. She still wore her archaic looking suit and her rifle was slung at her back. The other… Cooper felt every ounce of breath leave his lungs as _his_ _fiance_ _'s_ face looked at him. But it _wasn't_ his fiance!

The face was the same, but it was stiff, immobile. It was as if someone had carved Helen's face out of rock and placed it on a body. There was no life in what had once been a vibrant young woman. The _body_ was mobile. It walked to his bedside and sat down in a chair he hadn't seen. Weaver stood where she was, her face worried.

"What did I do?" Cooper asked in a tiny voice as he stared at the not-human human..

"You tried to bring your fiance back." The voice of the alien came from his fiance's face, but her lips did not move. "We all told you she was gone, but you could not give up on her. You simply could not. You did everything you could, you recovered her remains and your child's. The bodies were burned almost beyond any recognition. You buried your child's body, but you kept repairing _hers_. Nothing we said to you made any difference. You just kept trying."

"What am I, Frankenstein?" Cooper asked, dumbfounded.

"No." The alien in the body said sadly. "He was a fictional character. Besides… _He_ did what _he_ did out of pride and to see if he could. _You_ did what _you_ did, not for pride or because you could, but because the hurt inside you was so intense. You did not think you could live without her. You helped us, the Sectoids and me, but the humans who had slept here..." She looked at Weaver.

"Most of us died as we slept." Weaver said softly. "Those who survived… We took some time to wake safely. And when we did, the world had fallen. The Elders had won. The Lady here and her allies pulled us out of the rubble, but… only three of us and all needing help to recover." She smiled at the alien. "It was hell of a shock but we all swore to her when we were able."

"And I _still_ curse you for that." The alien snapped, but her ire was fake. "I am not a ruler. I am not a queen or whatever. You all could have gone back to X-Com."

"And told them _what_?" Weaver demanded. "That we were survivors from _another_ alien invasion and oh, yeah, we _didn't_ have any of the weapons or records we were supposed to have!" Cooper looked at her and Weaver sighed. "This area was supposed to be geologically stable."

"It is." The alien in the human form said with calm assurance. "If this facility had been built on the West Coast, _nothing_ would have survived. What happened here was a fluke."

"You know what X-Com would have done to us." Weaver said with a shrug. "It wouldn't have been pretty."

"I don't understand." Cooper said with a wince. "You have a rifle I have never seen before."

"For which we have _one_ crate of ammunition and no way to _make_ any more." Weaver replied with a groan. "The Sectoids have tried, but the ammo requires materials not found on Earth. Even cannibalizing the broken weapons doesn't do much, their cells decayed in the time since they were broken. The arsenal has _one_ other functional Zadjari weapon and a whole pile of mostly archaic human ones. The ammunition store collapsed as well. At least it didn't _explode_. There may be more crates of energy cells buried, there may not. We cannot get to them if there are. Even if we could? Who would use them? There are only three of us left and Zimmerman is a mess."

"What happened?" Cooper asked. He could not look at his fiance's face. It wasn't his fiance. "The… she said that the stasis room was damaged."

"The whole facility was." Weaver slumped a bit. "There were ten of us who volunteered. None of us had family left and we all knew the risks. The idea was that if it happened again, if Earth was invaded again, we would have a stockpile of advanced weaponry and the wherewithal to make more as well as people trained to use and make them. We would have to steal or scrounge the materials from the enemy, but we could have. Unfortunately, most the stasis pods were damaged and _all_ of them were buried when the roof collapsed. I should have listened to them." Grief clouded her features now. "The Sectoids warned me that the construction wasn't strong enough."

"Weaver." The alien with Helen's face said sternly. "If _I_ cannot live in the past, neither can _you_."

"Yes Milady." Weaver demurred and Cooper had to bite back a laugh at the sour sound that came from the other.

"So they dug you out and woke you up." Cooper mused.

"It took them years." Weaver blew out a deep breath. "Time meant nothing to us, but all of the pods were damaged. Even the Sectoids had to go slowly. Digging us out of a collapsed room without harming the pods was dangerous work and three of them were hurt badly in the process. They saw a pod fail in front of them but they kept going. They knew others were intact and functional. The three of us who survived woke up here in the wreckage of our plan. We are all that is left of the old X-Com and we failed."

"You didn't fail." Cooper said before the other could. "Humanity still exists. X-Com still fights. You didn't fail."

"It is not my X-Com." Weaver said quietly. "It wasn't my X-Com after Faulk died. Without him, the Bureau changed. It was less about defending and more about politics. I knew it was going to be that way. Even Weir didn't have a chance against the ingrained attitudes of the bureaucrats. Cover it up, erase it all, it never happened."

"But it did." Cooper's words were very quiet.

"As far as the new post-Faulk X-Com was concerned, the veterans such as myself were liabilities. We knew too much about too much." Weaver made a face. "None of us would have talked, but a bureaucrat is not paid to care about such things."

"That has not changed since humans invented bureaucracies, Weaver." The alien with Helen's face said sadly. "It is not going to change now. I am sorry, Cooper. I had to show you. I will move this form back into stasis. It hurts you to see her face this way." Cooper surprised himself by reaching out and grabbing her hand. "Little one..." She said weakly as she sat back down.

"You didn't do this." Cooper gave the hand a squeeze. The flesh under his fingers felt alive, but the face was so dead and lifeless. "You didn't hurt me, You haven't hurt me. I did this. I made...a golem or something?"

"No. You repaired her body and attempted to shock her mind back into life." The alien said sadly. "It didn't work. Base power fluctuated severely and we ran to your lab. We found you, slumped over this inert form, crying. You had poured _everything_ you had into it and it was not _enough_. What you did was incredible, but… Cooper, it was not _possible_. You repaired her _body_ , but everything that made your Helen what she was, was _gone_."

"And then you had a body." Cooper said weakly. "I… didn't take that well, did I?"

"I was not trying to frighten you." The alien said sadly. "None of us _believed_ what you had done. You had repaired her body almost _completely_. Not even the Zadjari tech could do such, Cooper. You are a _genius_. I was simply trying to ascertain what you had done. I touched the body and instantly merged with it. It is a fully functional female human body despite her immobile facial features. You repaired her body and it was alive, but _she_ was not in it. When I spoke to you from this body, you had a breakdown."

"I bet." Cooper said weakly. His head fell until his jaw was on his chest. "I… What have I done?"

"You loved your Helen with all of your heart." The alien was still so sad. "Nothing more. Nothing evil. You brought her body back to life. In doing so, you repaired it almost completely. Cooper..." She rubbed his hand gently. "What you did was _amazing_ and it was the basis for what _I_ did for Ana and Peter and then Mara."

"I toyed with the dead." Cooper said softly.

"No!" The alien snapped. "You _healed_. It is what you do. _All_ you do. She was beyond pain, beyond fear, Cooper. You did not toy with anyone, you did not _hurt_ anyone. You were trying to bring Helen back."

"And I failed." Cooper slumped in the bed, his hand falling limp.

The two mismatched women looked at each other. Something passed between them and then Helen's body got up and left the room. Weaver looked at Cooper who stared at the ceiling.

"I bet you are asking why I am not freaking out." Weaver said softly. Cooper jerked and stared at her. "Care to hazard a guess?"

"She was watching when I developed the sponges." Cooper said softly. "She has the touch to put them in." Telekinesis would allow for much gentler surgery than scalpels.

"You are as smart as everyone says." Weaver smiled a little. Said smile fell. "No one blames you for being irrational about what happened, Cooper. You went through an incredibly traumatic episode, both physically and emotionally. Even then? You didn't hurt anyone. _I_ would have."

"I was never a soldier." Cooper was numb now. "I cannot understand what you went through." Weaver shook her head.

"No, and that is a good thing." Weaver replied. "And what you did, what you discovered, it helps. It helps me, it helps Foster and it helps Zimmerman. We were broken by what happened. By what we had seen, what we had done. No matter my skill, I was a girl playing in a man's world. I had to be three times the soldier any other was just to fit in. After all that? I was angry. So very angry."

"Hard to blame you. And then you woke up here and things were worse." Cooper said softly. Weaver nodded. "But… She operated on you?"

"I was little better than Mara was at first when I woke." Weaver said quietly. "I was crying hysterically, huddled into a ball and it took her some time to calm me down. I had no idea why I was crying. I didn't know what had happened. But I couldn't stop. She helped. She apologized for the intrusion, afterwards. But she helped all three of us and no, it is not brainwashing. I know brainwashing. This isn't it."

"I should take your word for that." Cooper managed s small, thin smile. "I don't want you to thump me after all. But I don't know if I can."

"You will make up your own mind, Cooper." Weaver said with a smile of her own. "Everyone does. But you need to understand this: To everyone here you are a _hero_." She paused and made a face. "Except Mara's sister and she doesn't _count_. She likely won't be staying." Cooper looked at her and Weaver shook her head. "Pragmatically speaking, she is an enemy. A dangerous enemy. We should kill her and be done with it. But I am not… I am not who I was."

"No one is." Cooper agreed. "Mara?"

"Still asleep and she will likely stay that way for a while. Nothing bad, she was just exhausted and despite what she thinks, she is not fully recovered from everything else yet." Weaver reassured him. "She is a good kid. She makes me feel...different. I kind of like it."

"Different?" Cooper asked, eyeing the human woman.

"I never had the time for kids nor the inclination to have them." Weaver said with a small frown. "Suddenly, I am surrounded by them. I find myself conflicted."

"You need to find a new way too." Cooper said in sudden insight. Weaver nodded to him. "Because you don't _want_ to be a soldier."

"Not for X-Com." Weaver agreed. "Not anymore. One reason I swore to the Lady."

"Why do you call her that?" Cooper asked, confused.

"She is not your fiance." Weaver said with a frown. "The _one_ time someone asked to use that name she was… um… rather rude." She chuckled in memory. "Foster won't make _that_ mistake again."

"So..." Cooper shook his head. "I mean 'Lady' is the opposite of 'Lord', right?"

"More an equivalent, but yeah." Waver shrugged. "I needed a chain of command. My boys needed a chain of command. We chose her for it." Cooper's eyes bulged and Weaver smiled. "And no, we didn't tell her beforehand."

"I wonder if her kind can look poleaxed." Cooper grinned and Weaver shared it.

"No, but… Her sputtering was _priceless_." Weaver shook her head. "Part of me wants to fight, but I know I cannot win against the Elders. X-Com would take whatever I have, whatever I know and then discard me as useless."

"You don't know that." Cooper protested.

" _Who_ here worked for them?" Weaver asked in an acid tone. Cooper made a face and raised both hands in a warding gesture. "They might be somewhat gentle about it, but we wouldn't be able to contribute much now. Zimmerman lost both legs just below the hip and Foster is an _egghead_. Give him a gun and he will hurt himself with it."

"And you said the supplies got trashed." Cooper said slowly. Weaver nodded. "But you also mentioned a ship?"

"A bona fide flying saucer built by the good old US of A and then revamped by X-Com to fight the Zadjari." Weaver smiled at Cooper's expression. "It is big enough to carry everyone away from here and the Lady has some ideas of where to hide that even the Elder would have difficulty accessing."

"She said something about leaving the planet." Cooper said weakly. Weaver nodded. "But go where?"

"That is under the heading of 'need to know' and you don't need to know just yet." Weaver replied. "Suffice it to say that we _do_ have options, just not as many as we had hoped."

"So, what now?" Cooper asked. "I mean, I feel..." He paused. "A little weak, but good."

"Considering the state you were in when you arrived?" Weaver made face. "That is about a thousand percent improvement. Kerry has taken over nursing, she will be in with breakfast for you in a few minutes."

" _That_ is why she wore that outfit?" Cooper asked, incredulous. Weaver nodded with a smile.

"She is good. Smart, kind, and with no problem at all beating someone who doesn't do as she wishes." Weaver warned. "At least she is not a nun. I worry Valere is focusing on spiritual stuff to the exclusion of all else."

"That is not healthy." Cooper said quickly, but then sighed. "I am a doctor. I cannot stop being that."

"No one wants you to stop." Weaver frowned at him. "And don't compare yourself to Victor Frankenstein. He was a _nut_. You are just _slightly_ bent."

"Thanks. I _think_."

"You are welcome."


	15. Chapter 15

**Ties that bond**

Cooper straightened his attire once more and the mind within his sighed deeply.

 _Stop fidgeting little one._ The alien mind that was his constant companion now said sternly. _Don't make me get Weaver in_ _t_ _here. Or worse,_ **Valere!**

Cooper had to wince at that. Valere was young, but she had the soul of a drill sergeant at times. Kerry had taken to the role of a nurse like a duck to water, but Valere? She was a bit odder. Her cranial deformity should have made her a pariah in the group, but everyone looked at her with a bit of trepidation mixed with awe now. She was still the same girl, mostly. But she was also more a bit on the scary side when she decided that someone wasn't doing as they should. Kerry would be a very good nurse, Valere was taking to the role of a _physical therapist_ as if born to it.

Terrifying.

"I do not want to do this." Cooper whispered. He wasn't very good at thinking mentally. Everyone promised it would come with practice, but he hadn't had a lot of time to do that. "I do not want to face her."

 _You must._ The other was adamant. _Maya refused to face her and you are the one she hurt. Everything she and X-Com did to Ana was easily fixed. But what she did to you was not. You need closure and she does too._

"She hurt me." Cooper said with a half snarl. "Why does _she_ need closure?"

 _Because she does still love her sister._ The alien said sadly. _Her love for her sister is what drove her to hurt you. The physical damage has been regenerated, but you need to face her or you will never be free of her. Be strong, little one. You were not alone in the cell with her and you are not alone now._

Cooper slumped a bit but then nodded and stepped forward. The door hissed open at his touch and he strode into the small room. His eyes narrowed as he took in the padded walls but his gaze fell on the human form that lay on the floor near the center of it.

Kristen looked like hell. She wore a straitjacket and nothing else. Her head had been shaved and the signs of the minor surgery that had been needed to remove the tracking devices in her shone in places on her body. A bright red ball had been shoved into her mouth and her eyes were covered by something that Cooper had read about but never seen. The two leather circles that covered her eyes were held in place by a strap and he winced to see the redness of her skin around that strap. It was tight. Other straps held her to the floor and he winced at the necessity. If he gave her the chance, she would hurt him or worse. Her hands were bound up in some kind of ball mitten things and her feet were hobbled together.

Cooper slumped a bit but then nodded to himself and set his burden on the floor. The small basket held a tin of soup and a bottle of water with a straw. It held a towel and some cleaning supplies that he would need. It also held a couple of other things that he hoped and prayed he would not need.

 _Be careful, little one. She is dangerous even like this._ The alien warned. Cooper nodded but did not reply. The alien chuckled without mirth. _Good thing I can see you._

Cooper smiled but then knelt beside Kristen. Her visible skin was coated with sweat. She didn't seem to be awake, but when he touched the strap around her head, she jerked. She swung her head at his hand, but he evaded her clumsy attack deftly, undoing the strap with a swift jerk and then pulling the ball out of her mouth.

"Finally come to hurt me, you bastards?" Kristen sounded about as well as she looked. That was, not well at all.

"No." Cooper said quietly as he took a towel from his basket and started cleaning the sweat from her head. She jerked as she recognized his voice and then started cursing.

" _You_! I will kill you!" Kristen snarled, lunging at the sound of his voice. She couldn't go anywhere because of the straps holding her to the floor and she gave up fighting after a moment. Not a surrender, a tactical retreat to save her strength. "You will not brainwash me as you did Mara."

"Good." Cooper said flatly as he wet the towel and cleaned Kristen's head carefully avoiding her teeth as she thrashed and bit.

"What do you mean, _good_?" Kristen demanded, lunging again, but hitting nothing but air. "You Advent filth!"

"I am ambivalent about you." Cooper admitted. "Part of me wants to help you. Part of me wants to see you screaming as you made me scream. Luckily, that is a very small part and I know it is not a sane part. The rest of me knows that anything I do to you will hurt Mara and I won't do that to her."

"Yeah, like you have a conscience, Advent scum!" Kristen threw herself at him again, but only managed to wrench herself up a few inches before slamming back to the floor.

"I served Advent loyally." Cooper said slowly. "So yes, from your point of view, I am an enemy and I must die. But I did not hurt Mara. An Advent _soldier_ hurt her, not me. What I did to her, justified or no, helped her cope with her new circumstances. I helped her find a new way. She didn't like who she was, Major." Cooper said flatly. "Your psis made her see her entire life that she remembers and she hated who she was."

"You lie." Kristen lashed out again, but missed again and hit the floor hard again.

"Do I?" Cooper asked, his hands now wiping grime from the rest of Kristen's body, careful to avoid her mittened hands. "So, she wasn't the one who goaded you into stealing from that depot. She wasn't the one who felt she could outrun anything the clumsy aliens could do." Kristen had been opening her mouth to retort, but she suddenly closed it. Her visible face was slack with shock. "I have talked to her quite a bit. She is rather upset at what she did. To herself. To you. You won't believe me, but I have to say it. She is dear to me. A friend, not anything more no matter what she wished when she was lost in her fear and pain."

"What did you _do_ to her?" Kristen demanded, fury rising again.

"I made her eat. I made her drink." Cooper smiled in fond memory. "She was a pain, but she was also a good kid. I moved her past her pain and let her see the world through eyes untinted by rage and sorrow. Hate me for that if you will, she will never go back to being who she was. But for your information, when she made advances at me, I told her 'no'."

" _What did you do to her?_ " Kristen screamed. Cooper sat back and waited as she fought her restraints.

"You know what I did to her." Cooper said flatly. "You knew what I did when you had that psi, Syndrome, interrogate me in the prison." Kristen did not react and he sighed. "You didn't believe him."

"She wouldn't." Kristen said in a small voice. "She hated Advent! She wouldn't have… You did something to her! You enslaved her!" She was fighting hard now and Cooper sighed again as he reached for the basket. A pair of gloves went on and then he slapped the small sponge to the back of Kristen's bare skull. It adhered as designed. She instantly collapsed boneless. "Wha-?" She managed.

"No. _This_ is what I did." Cooper said quietly. "This sponge was made from DNA harvested from your living hair follicles. The same kind of thing I did for her. You feel detached from your pain, from your rage. The sponge secretes a substance that counters the chemicals in your brain that make you angry and afraid. I have water for you and soup. You need them both."

"No..." Kristen said weakly as Cooper pulled the water bottle out and laid the straw in her mouth. "No."

"Drink." Cooper said sternly. Kristen tried to spit the straw out, but her face went slack again as the sponge worked its magic. "Drink. You need it and you know it. You know you are dehydrated. Mara is very angry with you, but she _does_ still love you. Hurting you is wrong."

"I won't serve Advent!" Kristen managed to push the straw out with her tongue, but Cooper simply put it back in.

"Good." Cooper replied. "Neither do I anymore." Kristen froze whatever she was going to say next and turned her covered eyes to him. "You cannot believe me, but I will prove it. We have a few days and if you are _anything_ like Mara, I will need all that time just to get through your thick skull."

"You… scum..." Kristen said weakly. "No..." She pleaded, but he squirted the water into her mouth, it closed and she drank.

"This is what Advent wanted me to do." Cooper said softly as he squirted another tiny bit of water into Kristen's mouth. "A slave collar is easy to hate. It is not so easy to fight, but it _is_ possible to fight. What I do changes the world view of who I work on. I won't do it to you."

"Why not?" Kristen asked thickly. He squeezed another dose of water into her mouth. "I mean, you have me. I can't fight like this."

"What I did to Mara, I did to save her life." Cooper said softly. "Your life is not in danger." Kristen stared up at him, her visible face going slack. "Yes, we have taken the tracking devices out. But that is to protect the civilians here. There are women and children here, Major. If X-Com comes storming in here, what will they do?"

"We don't shoot civilians." Kristen said weakly. "Advent does, we don't!" She snapped when he did not respond.

"And if said civilians formed a wall between your guns and a group of aliens who refused to fight you?" Cooper asked slowly. "What then?"

"I… No." Kristen snapped. "You _lie_! You are Advent and you lie!" She jerked but then she subsided as the sponge worked again.

"As far as I know, I have never lied to you." Cooper said softly. "I don't remember everything in the prison, so I don't know for sure what I said."

 _You told her whatever you thought she wanted to he_ _a_ _r to stop the pain._ The alien said in his mind. She sounded sad. _That is the pragmatic downside of torture. The information you get can never be trusted._ He stiffened, she had felt it? She spoke again before he could ask. _I did, but it didn't_ _hurt_ _me as badly sin_ _c_ _e I have defenses. I couldn't help you but so much and I am sorry._

"Did it make you feel good to hurt me?" Cooper asked. Kristen snarled at him. "Major, I have a very good reason for asking and it pertains to Mara. Did it make you feel good?"

"Leave me alone!" Kristen screamed and then she wilted as the sponge dampened her again. "Leave… No… No! Go way! Leave me alone!"

"I can't." Cooper said sadly. "I am the only one who can possibly help you and Mara. You see, it is an old story. A sorely hurt person will have feelings for the one who helps him or her. It has happened throughout history, a nurse falling for her patient or vice versa. _Mara. Knows. This._ " He said sternly. "She _knows_ it is an irrational infatuation and do do _I_. She is far too young for me and I have no intention of ruining our relationship by pushing any kind of agenda, be it erotic or otherwise."

"You are too good to be true." Kristen managed through the haze in her head. "No human is that… pure."

"Mara is my patient. She is my friend and coworker." Cooper said with a sigh. "She is nothing else. She is not who she was. She says she was a bitch to you." He was not expecting Kristen to freeze completely. "I am not sure I believe it."

"You are right." Kristen said slowly. Cooper stared at her, confused. "She wasn't."

"What?" Cooper asked, even more confused. "She blamed herself for what happened. She said you were nearly caught too."

"I wasn't there." Kristen said slowly. "She was trying to prove herself to me. I didn't need her to do that. I wanted her safe."

 _Keep her talking._ The other mind inside Cooper's said quickly. _This is new. Mara is not… She felt genuinely remorseful._ _I sensed no duplicity at all in her._

"You thought I hurt Mara, brainwashed her." Cooper said slowly. Kristen nodded. "But I didn't _shoot_ her. You found her at the depot. She said she dared you to steal from there."

"That is not what happened." Kristen said flatly. "I was away. Busy." She made a face and Cooper did not press. Probably fighting for X-Com. "She wanted to fight, but she was too young. I heard she vanished and I went AWOL to look for her. I got in trouble for that. I was pulled off field duty."

"You found her." Cooper said softly. Kristen nodded, her visible face turning sorrowful. "Was she…?"

"She was alive, but she was inside an Advent depot." Kristen said sadly. "I couldn't get to her until after she was hit. When I checked, she didn't have a pulse." She gave a tiny sob. "I… I freaked."

 _Everything she is saying reads as true._ The other inside Cooper's mind said dubiously. _But Mara remembers something very different. This is not good. Don't do anything., I am going to check on Mara._

"Mara remembers something very different." Cooper said slowly. "How can you and she not…? Oh no." He inhaled sharply and screamed in his mind. _BEWARE! If she was touched by the Elders before…!_

 _I know._ The other was very worried now. _She is asleep. I will have to do a deep scan._ _It will take a few minutes._ _Do not leave Kristen's side._

"What is going on?" Kristen demanded when Cooper did not speak.

"You and Mara remember _totally_ different things." Cooper said quietly. "That should be somewhat true, you are different people with different perspectives. But what you say you remember is _totally_ different from what _she_ remembers. There should be some similarity and there isn't."

"I don't understand." For the first time, Cooper say concern cross Kristen's face. "Is this a trick?"

"If it was, I would likely lie to you. So you cannot trust me." Cooper replied. "But it isn't. We need to figure this out. What do you remember. Exactly?" Her face came up and he sighed. "Don't move, and please don't bite me."

She went totally still as his hands touched the blindfold around her head. She gasped as it came loose in his hands. He sighed as he saw the red puffy eyes. She had been crying. He wet the towel again and held it in front of her, an unspoken question on his face. She closed her eyes, not responding, but not attacking either. He was quick and careful cleaning her face. Then he sat back as she opened her eyes and stared at him.

"We have to remember the same thing." Kristen said weakly.

"You _should_." Cooper agreed. "But you _don't_."

"Then one of us has been tampered with." Kristen blanched. "Mara… What is wrong with Mara?"

 _Nothing._ Both Cooper and Kristen went still as the yellow alien form appeared beside him. From Kristen's suddenly blank face, she could hear the words too. _She is in good health and her memories have not been tampered with._ _She is still asleep and will be for several more hours. She is not as strong as Cooper or you. I need to touch you, Major._

"You could just do it." Kristen said with a shudder. "I cannot fight like this." Cooper looked at the alien and shook his head. "What?" Kristen demanded.

"She takes her ethics very seriously, Major. She only does does such things without permission in emergencies." Cooper said quietly. "The only one in danger now is you and you have earned her ire. She felt what you did to me in the prison and _she did not respond!_ " Kristen stared at him, her eyes bulging and Cooper shook his head. "As you are, you are a threat to us all, Mara included."

"Mara..." Kristen said weakly. Then she slumped. "If this is a trick, I am doomed."

 _It is not._ The alien said gently as the tendrils swept down to touch Kristen's head. The major gasped and then relaxed, her features relaxing into a smile as the alien worked her magic. _Oh my god…_

"What?" Cooper and Kristen both said as one.

 _Your memories of what happened have been tampered with. The Elders did not do this to you._ The alien said quietly. _I can correct the damage, but it will take time. Time we do not have at the moment._

"If they didn't, who did?" Kristen demanded, but the sponge soothed her again and she slumped. Cooper froze as the implications dawned.

"Oh no. No." Cooper said sharply. Kristen was only a little slower.

"They… no. They wouldn't do that." Kristen said weakly. "They _wouldn't!_ "

 _I can see some._ _You were distracted by your sister._ The alien said sadly. Her tone was super soft and gentle now. _She was mean to you and you were distracted. You we_ _re sent_ _looking for her to_ **recruit** _her. She said some things and said she would show you she was better than you. She went into the depot and died there. You were not alone when you found her_ _body_ _._

"I… I was..." Kristen said weakly.

 _No, you were not._ The alien sighed. _Perhaps it was meant as a kindness? To make you remember a more positive sister? But it was a massive violation of your mind. No matter. Kristen, Mara will want to stay. Do you want to go back?_

"I..." Kristen swallowed as the tendrils withdrew. "Fighting is all I know. All I am good at."

 _That is not true._ The alien said quietly. _Think, Kristen. What else do you wish? What else brings you comfort_ _or joy_ _?_

"I…" Kristen stammered and her face fell. _"I don't know! I don't remember!"_

"Oh my god." Cooper laid a hand on Kristen's shoulder as she started to cry. "They… No, they couldn't have…"

 _They did._ The alien heaved another of her all too human sighs.

 **X-Com** _brainwashed her._


	16. Chapter 16

**Loose**

"I feel weird." Kristen said as she smoothed the white cotton gown she wore. Her companion just grunted and she sighed. "Yes, Ma'am." She said stoically.

Cooper and Ana stood aside, this wasn't about them just yet. They were ready, but they couldn't force this.

"You have to want this." Weaver was wearing her normal suit with a skirt. It was pretty enough, but it was odd as well. Even in the 1960s it was highly unlikely that a normal woman would have worn a backpack with odd wires and tubes arrayed all over it that went to a bracer like thing that flashed and beeped. It was also highly unlikely that said woman would have been carrying the long green rifle that Weaver was. "Everyone says you love your sister and the Lady rarely makes mistakes when they deal with matters of the heart, but you have to _want_ this. It _will_ change your world completely. I know about being a soldier, Kristen. That is _all_ I knew. All I wanted to be from the moment I can clearly remember." She slumped a bit. "I was always an outsider though. Even in the Bureau."

"What were they like?" Kristen asked as she slowly sank into the wheelchair that had been readied for her. "The first X-Com?" Weaver chuckled without mirth and Kristen smiled a little forlornly. "I mean, if you can tell me."

"There is lot I cannot say even now." Weaver said with a frown as Kristen sat and settled herself. "Things that were _never_ supposed to be discussed. Things that can never be aired. But I _can_ say, most of them were _assholes_." Kristen stared at her and Weaver quirked a small smile. "As it is today, nice people did not survive the job. The world was changing, but the old guard was still firmly in control most places, especially in the military. Faulk only cared about results and a few of the higher ranked agents didn't care if I had boobs. I could do the job and that was all that mattered to ones like DeSilva and Carter. Now, _proving_ to those that I could do the job? _That_ was interesting at times. The others? They were quiet about voicing their disapproval, but it was always there."

"I never studied a lot of history." Kristen said weakly. "I mean… I was just trying to survive and take care of Mara." She tensed as Ana stepped forward, a surgical cap in her hand. Then she slumped in relief as the sponge on the back of her head soothed her. "Damn, why am I so afraid? The programming?"

"Some of it. Soldiers are trained to turn fear to anger. Then to use their anger as energy to continue fighting" Weaver moved to stand beside her. "But part of your fear is simple self preservation. Yes, you fear. You have _cause_. What the Elders have done to this world, to humanity, is horrific in the extreme. You have seen only horror from aliens, Kristen. Of _course_ you are afraid of baring your soul to the Lady." She smiled grimly. "But you won't let it rule you. She won't hurt you and you know it."

"No, Ma'am. She didn't before and I gave her more than enough cause to do just that." Kristen took the surgical cap from Ana and slid it over her head. "I am no doc. Are you sure this will help?" She asked the room. Cooper and Ana both nodded, but she looked at Weaver who also nodded. "I cannot be the only one. I mean, if I was programmed… Then others were too."

"The very _first_ rule of medicine, Kristen, is that we cannot help everyone." Cooper said sadly. "We try. We do our best. But doctors _cannot_ help everyone any more than soldiers can save every innocent or kill every enemy. It is just not possible." Kristen nodded and slumped a little, but perked up as Cooper stepped forward and held out his hand to her. She took it gingerly. "I do not know if this will help you as it helped the others. None of them had this done to them. But I give you my word, I will try. Even if the worst comes to pass, Mara will not be left alone. Ever."

Kristen stared at him and then at Weaver who nodded. He didn't think the less of Kristen for that. Weaver was far tougher and far more capable than Cooper was. She also was former X-Com, so of _course_ Kristen felt a bit of kinship with the much older woman.

"Thank you." Kristen said softly. "I am ready."

Ana took hold of the wheelchair as Cooper headed to wash up. No Advent tech here, but they would do their best.

They had to for their new sister.

* * *

Four hours later

Cooper watched through the window of the observation room as Kristen slept. In sleep, the woman he had hated and feared was a very different being. Her face was relaxed, almost pretty, if lined by old scars as well as the tracks of fear and pain. Even now, though, he felt a tingle of fear pass through him. It was eased by his companion.

 _It wasn't all her._ The other mind said quietly, The Lady was very upset by this. _Someone in X-Com tampered with_ _h_ _er and she was highly unstable as a result. Maybe that is actually why she was pulled off of fieldwork. She truly loves Mara. There is no doubt about that._

"Could this be a trap of some kind?" Cooper asked as he rocked back on his heels. It had been amazing, working with the Lady. He hadn't been able to see the face through the surgical mask so he had pretended that the form who had been assisting him had been a colleague.

 _Anything can be a trap,_ _l_ _ittle one._ The alien replied.

She had put the body back wherever they stored it as soon as the two of them were done with the surgery. Kristen now had a sponge inside her skull and her aggressiveness would be dampened more than the sponge outside her skull could manage. Add to that, the programming that had been done to her had left traces that Cooper could identify. He had soothed each spot inside her brain that he could find. He didn't kind himself that he had found them all, but it was a start. She faced a long rehabilitation and she would need a lot of help, but she was on the way. That wasn't the hard part.

Mara stood by the rear wall of the small room, her eyes fixed on the window, and her face set. She shook her head slowly. She had been crying, but she wasn't now.

"Mara, it wasn't entirely her fault." Cooper kept his voice quiet. "You need to forgive her."

"I can't!" Mara said flatly. "After everything? I _can't_. I cannot forgive or forget."

 _No one says you have to forget. That would be foolish and you are not a fool, Mara._ The alien soothed Mara and she relaxed a little. _But that X-Com psi was right. Your emotions are festering. Let them out, little Mara. Let them out._

"I… I can't." Mara was shaking now and Cooper stepped to her side, taking her in a gentle hug. He felt the other take hold of her mind as she shook in grief and fear.

"Mara, talk to me." Cooper said with a sigh. "Come on, girl. You are better than this. Better than the ones who hurt you, Advent or X-Com."

 _There is nothing wrong with your mind now, dear Mara._ The alien added. _You just don't want to forgive her._ This last was stern and Mara winced.

"No. I don't." Mara said weakly. "I… I cannot..." She gave a squeak as Cooper hugged her hard and then released her, backing away. She stared at him.

"The infatuation hasn't faded." Cooper said sadly. "You need to find someone you can live with, Mara. Someone who is not broken into as many pieces as I am."

"I know it is wrong to feel this way." Mara said weakly, hugging herself. "I have done all of the exercises. I have done everything I can. But it isn't fading. It should have if it was an infatuation."

 _It was more than that at first._ The alien said quietly and both Cooper and Mara stared at each other. _The Elders wanted to reward Cooper for his loyalty._ Cooper felt sick and Mara's face was a study. _A mate to replace the one he lost. They may be evil by our standards, but they are not stupid. Clumsy as hell at times, but not stupid. Cooper's grief drove him, but it would have destroyed him eventually._

"They..." Mara swallowed.

 _They knew you would have feelings._ The alien said quietly. _They knew Cooper would help you. That you would be grateful. What they did was subtle for them, a minor twisting_ _to make you care for him sooner_ _. Mara, it is all right._ She soothed as Mara gave a sob. _You are free of that._ _I destroyed it as soon as I felt it, in your second session with him._ _You can choose another._

"I still want to sleep with him!" Mara said savagely and then clamped a hand over her mouth, face flaming. Cooper just stood, trying to keep his face impassive. Nether of the others in the conversation spoke and Mara slowly relaxed. "Don't tell me you are not attracted to me!"

"You are a very pretty girl, Mara." Cooper said quietly. "I would be less than human and less than male if I didn't feel something when I look at you. But Mara, I am not whole anymore. Physically, I am as I was, but mentally? I am a powder keg. It is not a question of whether or not I fall apart. It is a question of _when_." Mara gave a tiny sob as the alien sighed.

"You can help him!" Mara begged. "Can't you?"

 _I have done everything I can, Mara._ The alien said sadly. _The Elders did what they could, but… It is a miracle he has lasted as long as he has._ _Too many shocks. Too much pain._

"No." Mara begged. Hands reaching out to Cooper before she pulled them back and wrapped them around herself.

"And you will _not_ follow me." Cooper said flatly. Mara stared at him and he shook his head. "Mara, you are infatuated. Humans have done dumb things for love throughout our history, but you have an entire life ahead of you. You are not in love with me."

"I think I am." Mara said weakly. "I feel… This has to be love!"

 _It isn't._ The alien said gently. _Mara… feel…_

A waft of something came to them both and Mara jerked as feelings passed through her. Cooper smiled as he felt the love he had for Helen pass to Mara's scrutiny. She stared at him and then she was sobbing.

"That is..." Mara was crying and he took her in his arms again. This time though, he could feel her attraction lessening. "I cannot compete with _that_."

"It is not a competition, Mara." Cooper gave her a squeeze as she rubbed her face, trying to stem her flow of tears. "You may find someone who makes you feel this way someday. You may not. It is nothing bad. I do love you, Mara, but not like that. I cannot. Go ahead, cry. You need to let the emotions loose. This room is soundproofed, you won't wake Kristen."

Mara sank to her knees, Cooper supporting her as the alien mind that encompassed them both gave her support as well. She jerked as her tears came faster. Then she was bawling and he held her as he had so many time in her recovery. It took several minutes for her to calm enough to shudder and go limp in his arms.

"I wanted..." She begged as he held her. "I _so_ wanted..."

"A wise man once wrote, 'we can't always get what we want'." Cooper said with a sad smile as he gave her another squeeze. "'But if we try, sometimes, we get what we need.' True words."

"I hate her." Mara snarled halfheartedly towards the window.

"Siblings who love each other all the time have problems." Cooper agreed. Mara stared at him, incredulous and then her mouth quirked, against her will it seemed. "What she did, she did to me, Mara. Not to you. I have forgiven her. Now you must."

"I..." Mara seemed at a loss for words now as Cooper released her and rose to his feet. She stared up at him.

 _We cannot have such divisions in our midst, Mara._ The alien said sadly. _There are enough external forces… Oh no. Not now!_ She snapped.

"What is wrong?" Cooper and Mara said at the same time.

 _An Advent scouting force just landed near the ruins on the surface._ The other replied. _They are... Oh my._

Something rumbled above Cooper. He and Mara both stared at the ceiling, but nothing more happened.

"What is happening?" Mara asked as the door slammed open. Kerry and Valere came running in. Both wore odd silvery suits. Kerry ran to Cooper, Valere made a beeline to Mara.

"We need to go. Now." Kerry said as she tugged Cooper's hands.

"Wait… Kristen!" Cooper said. She was still asleep. Indeed, as he looked through the window, he saw Weaver bundling the woman up and carrying her from the room.

"We are on it!" Kerry snapped. "Valere! Get Mara to the changing room. Doctor! Come on! We have to go!"

"Go where?" Cooper demanded, but did not resist as Kerry pulled him out of the door.

"Mara has a suit, you don't." Kerry snapped. "We planned on fitting you for one, but there is no time now." Another rumble from overhead and Cooper stared at the ceiling apprehensively. Weaver joined them as Kerry pulled Cooper through tunnels he did not know. They looked newer, or cleaner than the old base. If the old soldier was uncomfortable carrying a younger on clad only in a patient gown, it was unapparent.

"What is going on?" Cooper asked and then slapped his face. "Oh no, don't tell me..."

"Yeah." Weaver said sourly. "Advent ran right into an X-Com infiltration team. Boom. We knew X-Com would track you. Kristen here was dosed with a rare isotope that we couldn't filter. She didn't know about it." She clarified when Cooper glared at the unconscious woman. "It could have been done by anyone there. They had to be close to track it, but rock won't block that signal, only distance will."

"So, we leave." Cooper was running with Kerry and Weaver now as the rumbles came faster.

"Yeah." Weaver shook her head. "Kerry, get him to the Lady and then get your asses to the ship!" She took off at a run. Cooper stared after her, but Kerry pulled him on and they ran.

Cooper was many things, he wasn't a runner. He was panting quickly.

 _Not far, little one._ The alien said as Kerry passed into a narrow corridor with doors at both ends. _I need you to carry me._

"You are...a little big… to put in my pocket..." Cooper gasped as he ran. Kerry laughed at that. She had no trouble running. She was in far better shape than he was. Kerry took a sudden left and then a right. Cooper followed before coming to a sudden halt.

The room they had entered into was a shambles. It was huge and had other rooms off the side that once had been walled away with glass from the shards that lay everywhere. Machinery that Cooper could not identify lay everywhere, some of it in pieces. All that paled beside the huge enclosure in front of him. He barely felt Kerry pulling him down stairs until he stood in front of the huge thing. Was it some kind of tank? Whatever was in it looked like some kind of fluid. But not _just_ fluid.

He stared at the form that hovered within the yellow… whatever it was. She was beautiful. Not even remotely human, but beautiful. He felt his eyes burn as he stared at her and he felt her matching love.

"I know she is pretty, but we do not have _time_ to _gawk_!" Kerry said savagely as she gave him a push towards the tank thing.

"What do I do?" Cooper asked in a hushed voice.

 _You do not need to do anything._ The other said with a tinkling laugh. The tendrils swept out and Cooper did not move as they connected. The form in the tank was hovering closer, and suddenly, it was gone! But...she wasn't. _Let's go!_

Cooper started running again, and this time, he could keep up with Kerry even when the girl went into a full sprint. They ran through tunnels that were empty, tunnels that held boxes and barrels, tunnels that had nothing but old stains on the walls that Cooper did not examine too closely. Then they ran into a very large room and up to what to Cooper seemed like a flying saucer, but with some kind of scaffolding around its bottom.

 _Kerry, arm the charges!_ The alien in Cooper said as his body ran up a ramp and into a large circular room. He could see people all around in other rooms, each wearing a silvery suit with a helmet. _Valere are we online?_

"Yes, Lady." Valere's voice came from a room ahead that was also packed with people. He saw Weaver kneeling beside Kristen's still form, but the unconscious woman was covered in some kind of bubble? Cooper saw Valere's head. She was sitting at a control panel of some kind. "All personnel but Kerry are aboard and accounted for. Lady..."

"You can do it, Valere." The lady said aloud. Cooper winced as the body of his fiance stepped forward. She too wore a silver suit with a helmet. "Oh no..."

"What?" Cooper asked and then his mind seemed to expand. He saw the hangar bay and the massive doors that had to be opened to let the ship out. He saw Kerry struggling in the grip of an armored X-Com operative who was dragging her bodily away from the charges she had been arming. She wasn't hurt, but she also wasn't going to escape that grip. Not _Colonel Kelly's_.

 _You have one of mine, I have one of yours._ The voice wasn't the Lady, but it _was_ an Ethereal.

 _Shall we trade?_


	17. Chapter 17

**Choice**

 _Asaru!_ _You son of a bitch!_ The Lady's wrath was a palpable thing. _She is just a kid!_

 _No, she is one of yours._ The other said flatly. _This doesn't have to be hard, Shamash. You don't like the Elders any more than I do. They will be sending reinforcements. Give me the Major, I give you back your 'kid' and you can do whatever you want._

 _Sure I can._ The yellow alien in Cooper said with a growl worthy of a Muton. _Of course, that requires I trust you to keep your word and we all know what your word is worth._

 _Shamash, give us the Major and I will let you go._ The other said quietly.

 _I do not believe you._ The Lady said flatly. _I am not Shamash and even if I was?_ **You** _killed her. You do not inspire trust any more than the_ **Elders** _do._

 _I am truly sorry you feel that way._

Cooper inhaled sharply as he saw the X-Com operative holding Kerry meet up with others in like armor. They had formed a perimeter and were blasting any Advent dumb enough to show itself near them. Kerry was struggling until a familiar form with a black skull mask touched her head. The Lady groaned as static surged across her mental link and the vision or whatever faded from Cooper's mind.

 _I haven't hurt her._ The mind of the other said quietly. _But she will remain with us until you deliver the Major._

 _Yeah._ Cooper snapped and both minds felt shocked as he snarled at the newcomer. _Brainwashing doesn't hurt anyone at all. And you blamed_ **me** _for that. She is right, you are an evil bastard. Does Colonel Kelly or Syndrome know what you stoop to?_

 _Little one, no!_ The Lady warned. _Don't answer him. He is trying to provoke us. His men do not know he exists and he_ **will** _kill to protect his secret._

 _And us?_ Cooper asked in his mind.

 _We are expendable too._ The Lady said softly. _After all, all that matters is winning. I… I cannot. I love Kerry, but I cannot. Kristen is dear to me too. Kerry would never forgive me if I throw Kristen away to save her. Do with her what you will. We are not staying where you can hurt any more of mine._

 _You really feel that._ The other Ethereal sounded a bit dubious.

 _Maybe your pets are just numbers to you._ The Lady said with a growl. _Maybe after so long fighting, you do not know what it means to care for someone. But these people look up to me._ _They are dear to me. Not as pets, as friends._ _They want me to be better than that and I find I do not want to disappoint them._ _No. I will not surrender Kristen even to save Kerry._

For a long moment, there was utter silence in Cooper's mind. Then the other Ethereal sighed deeply.

 _If you try to fly out of there, the Elder's puppets will blow you out of the sky._ Asaru sounded resigned and more than a little sad. _You would die._

 _Maybe. But we would die free._ The Lady said just as quietly. _Just like William Carter did._

 _What he did was pointless and stupid!_ Asaru said weakly. _He didn't need to fight me. I wasn't his enemy!_

 _You enslaved him._ The Lady was firm now. _Call it whatever you want, but you_ **used** _him and you gave him_ **no** _choice about it. You would not even let him_ **die** _with dignity._ Her mental tone turned sad. _Weaver will never forgive you_ _for_ _that. They were not close, but they were colleagues. They fought_ _t_ _hat war together and you tossed him aside_ _to die screaming in an asylum_ _._

 _Weaver?_ The other sounded stunned now. **Angela** _Weaver? She is alive? How…?_

Cooper looked, but Weaver was gone. Imam Robinson sat beside Kristen's slumbering form now and his face was bleak.

 _That is not my story to tell._ The Lady said quietly. _What is it going to be, Asaru? No one but Cooper can hear you and me talk and he understands the need for secrecy._ Cooper slumped a bit, but sent a wordless acknowledgment to the Lady whose return mental caress made him smile a little. _You choose life or death every day for your people._ _We are not your people and Kristen is one of us now._ _Do we live or do we die?_

 _Don't put this on me._ The other Ethereal warned. _I have been_ _fighting_ _alone since Shamash died._ _But as bad as it got, I have limits._ _I wasn't going to_ _let her_ _wipe out the human race for what she_ _herself_ _did. For her teaching Origin the means to enslave out kind._ _I don't want to kill you and the civilians with you._

 _Good._ The Lady replied.

 _That said..._ Asaru said slowly. _Cooper's mental conditioning techniques would help my soldiers greatly in dealing with the Elders' horrific tactics._

 _No!_ Cooper snapped in his mind. He felt the Lady's gentle presence enfold him, soothing his sudden anguish.

 _You cannot ask that of him, Asaru._ The Lady was quiet, but firm. _If you have seen nothing in his mind, you have seen what it would do to him._

 _I do not ask such lightly._ Asaru was just as quiet and just as firm. _I am responsible for what has happened here. You know it._

 _I do._ Cooper felt confusion rise, but the Lady soothed him again and he subsided. If she could tell him, she would, but he knew now as not the time.

 _These people did not deserve this._ Asaru was all sad now. _I have had to do horrible things to fight the Elders. My soldiers have pushed themselves past their limits time and again. But they are only human. They cannot match the Elders' sheer force. They need more._

 _I… I can't…_ Cooper stammered in his mind and the Lady caressed him again. _Lady! No! I cannot do that!_

 _I know._ The Lady's kindness soothed him again and Cooper subsided. _Asaru, he cannot. What he is as a human is tied too deeply into his psyche to change without destroying him. Cooper is so fragile now I fear for him anyway. You have psychological specialists among your people, do you not? One of them had to be the one who hurt Kristen._

 _What?_ Asaru probably wasn't faking the sudden laser like intensity that focused on the Lady and Cooper. _What do you mean?_

 _I took Kristen in because her sister needs her and because someone tampered with her mind._ The Lady was calm and quiet. Cooper stared around, but the scene around them hadn't changed. The Lady chuckled in his mind. _This is not a conversation I wanted heard by everyone_. _I accelerated you again. This whole_ _communication_ _has taken microseconds._

 _Useful._ Cooper had to smile at the Lady's amusement.

 _Cooper never had her._ Asaru said slowly _Not until you took them off the Avenger. Now?_

 _I gave her a sponge._ Cooper fought to stay calm as the other alien mind focused on his. It was fairly intimidating. _She was very stressed when she realized that she and Mara remembered_ **different** _things about the day Mara died. They are different people, they are going to_ **see** _things differently, but what they remember is_ **nothing** _alike._

 _That…_ Asaru paused and then his intensity faded. _That shouldn't be possible._ _Was she mind controlled?_

 _No._ The Lady replied instantly. _I have found no trace of the Elder's machinations in either of them._ _I know those traces, they cannot hide such from me._ _Whatever was done to her was not psionic. That said, she was_ **not** _alone when she found Mara's body. I cannot see those memories._ **Someone** _was with her. Someone who took great pains not to be recognizable_ _in her memories_ _._

 _What are you saying?_ Asaru asked, confused.

 _I am saying that there is another player in this._ The Lady said with a frown in her voice. _I do not know their agenda or their methods, but it was not psionic_ _so it was not the Elders_ _._ _It was not Cooper either, since he did not even know she existed until she hurt him in your prison._

 _Humans have been trying to mind control other humans for millennia._ Cooper said softly. _Altering memories is not hard if you have time and know how, but why her?_ _All ti takes is a knowledge of pharmacology and time._ _She is a soldier. I get that. Is she privy to classified information?_

 _No._ Asaru mused. _When she returned without Mara, she was incredibly stressed. We took her off combat duty and sent her to psychological help. Was Mara tampered with?_

 _No._ Cooper and the Lady both replied as one and Cooper felt the Lady's amusement again.

 _Mara was dead when she came into Cooper's facility._ The Lady said quietly. _I revived her completely before Cooper even saw her. Whatever you may think of him, Cooper took the time needed to make sure Mara was intact mentally. I also spent time scanning her mind as soon as we realized what was happening_ _here_ _. Her memories of that period are clear and clean if horrific. She was not tampered with. Kristen was._

 _I see._ Asaru made a noise very like a human sigh. _This is a mess and we do not have time to untangle it now. The Elders have to be sending more troops._ He paused. _You think that is why she was unstable?_

 _It is entirely possible._ Cooper said quietly. His mind was in flux and the other picked it up.

 _You hate her._ Asaru said slowly.

 _He has cause._ The Lady snapped. _Even one of your soldiers had no right to do what she did to him._

 _No._ Asaru admitted. _What she did was wrong. The interrogation that the psi did showed that._ _Everyone on the command staff agrees on that._ _That is why he was released._

 _But not freed._ The Lady said snidely.

 _We can argue methods when my people and yours are not in danger._ Asaru was calm. _Can you get that ship out?_

 _We can._ The Lady said with a snarl. _But I am not leaving Kerry in your hands._

 _You know how many troops Advent keeps in North America._ The other Ethereal said flatly. _How many lives will you gamble for one you human who is not in danger from us?_

 _I do not trust you!_ The Lady snapped right back.

 _You have been around humans for your entire existence and you have seen nothing but the Elders' work._ The other was calm. _I am not surprised that you do not trust me. Sad, but not surprised._

 _Done, milady._ An unexpected voice spoke up. Weaver! _On the way back._

 _Weaver?_ Asaru sounded stunned now. _I didn't believe. I am sorry._

 _She cannot hear you._ The Lady replied. _Our escape is set. If you have people near the hangar doors, they better move._

 _My people are extracting now and no, the girl is fine. Just asleep._ Asaru replied. _Advent inbound. Lots of Advent._

 _If anything happens to that girl, Asaru, you will never see any of us again._ The Lady warned.

 _Worry about yourselves._ Asaru replied. _My people are gone._

"Valere!" The Lady said aloud. "Weaver has set the charges. Is she aboard?"

"In, milady!" Waver's voice came from somewhere as a grinding of metal on metal reverberated throughout the ship. "Door is closing, It will not be airtight."

"All systems read as online." Valere's voice was firm as a hum built beneath Cooper."Everyone lie down and hold onto something or each other."

"Tell me she is a trained pilot." Cooper said as hands guided him to the floor and took hold of him gently but firmly. Suddenly, he was encased in hands.

"She is good, but this thing hasn't flown in seven decades." Weaver's face came into his view. She was strapping helmet on. "We need to get you into a bubble. Everyone, easy. Lets get him in before we hit vacuum."

" _Where_ are we going?" Cooper asked as the hum built and the hands were now easing something around him. He stared down at the clear plastic they were putting him in and then relaxed. There was nothing more he could do. The lady reassured him non verbally and he relaxed further.

"Up."

* * *

Outside

The Advent troops milled around the small ruined compound in dismay. They had been too late, again Once more the dissident troops had struck and vanished, but why here? This place was a wreck. The scouting team that had been sent to check on odd readings detected nearby had not had a chance to report, when HQ had lost track of most of their vital scans, the reinforcements had been sent as a matter of course. The _one_ voice com that had finally been picked up from the doomed scouting team had mentioned armed and armored humans, but none were here now.

The four officers commanding the pods that had landed were conferring with HQ and HQ was just as confused. This place had once been a military base, but it obviously hadn't been used for decades before the Elders had come. It was also small, a few of the ancient Quonset huts made of metal that was showing its age and a landing pad with scorch marks on it. The twice human height fence with its strands of antique razor sharp wire had fallen in places.

The officers had just reached a consensus to scan the area thoroughly when it happened. None of the Advent troops had even _suspected_ that the landing pad they were walking over was not concrete. Even the most sophisticated and sensitive of Advent scanners would have needed time to discern that the concrete was only a meter thick and underneath _that_ was a door. No one had ever suspected that the tiny little supply depot in the middle of nowhere hid something far greater in scope. The Bureau had hidden its first base from _everyone_ , ally and enemy alike. When a small explosion shattered each corner of the pad, the secret was finally out.

Not that it did any of the Advent much good.

The three Sectoids in the group reacted first. They had been feeling something odd, but it hadn't impinged in their awareness. It wasn't human minds, it wasn't danger focused on them. Indeed, it wasn't focused at all. More a feeling. In humans, they might have called it a 'gut feeling' or 'hunch' and been on guard. Sectoids? Not so much. But they were a _bit_ warier than the others. To give Advent their due, they did have their soldiers indoctrinated well. Even before the fourth explosion sounded, the Sectoids were all in the meager cover that the ruined depot boasted, aiming their plasma weapons at the landing pad.

The other troops were caught flatfooted. If an enemy had been present, all would have likely died quickly, but they recovered and found what hiding they could. Several Advent troops and two Mutons had no cover at all and had to stand there, staring at the landing pad, eyes huge under their helmets, waiting. Those unfortunates knelt to take aim, but again, nothing happened.

The officers were about to send a scout to check the blast areas when the next explosion happened and tossed every Advent soldier on its feet right off it. If the blast had not been directed skyward, the entire area -and the entire Advent detachment in all likelihood- would have been a memory. As it was, only one Advent officer's helmet was pointed in the right direction as he landed to see as the entire landing pad flew off into the distance, thrown by the massive carefully shaped explosion.

It would later be determined, carefully, that the _entire_ concrete pad flew in a single piece almost a full kilometer before slamming into the ground and obliterating a large swath of inoffensive desert landscape. But that was _much_ later.

What happened _next_ stunned even Advent troops as conditioned and controlled as they were. They stared, dumbfounded as a silver shape eased slowly out of the ground. It scraped against one side of the jagged hole, but then was hovering a meter or so off the ground. It was a _flying saucer!_ No Advent had ever seen such a craft and none of their Elders had either. By the time the Elders had started their own preparations to invade, such craft had been remanded to the purview of fiction writers since no Earth based military could get them to work right. You needed materials and power sources not available on Earth to get a saucer to fly in atmosphere in any way that was usable for a military.

It wasn't the troops' fault that they simply gawked as the ship hummed louder, its engines powering up. They had just been very close to a massive explosion. And... It wasn't a human ship or an alien ship. It also didn't seem to be armed. It was obviously human construction, especially with the rusted yellow metal scaffolding that surrounded its lower parts. But it had no markings. It had places where it looked as if it had once had markings, a circle with rectangles on either side and a downward pointing pentagon shone brightly shined on the hull. But that was just bare metal, not markings.

One of the officers, thinking faster than the others opened his com and tried to talk to the ship. The response was not what he wished. The ship vanished suddenly and every one of the troops stared around wildly. The smart officer looked up and he caught a silvery glimpse just for a moment as the craft flew out of his sight. It had gone straight up and for all he knew, was _still_ going up.

His com clamored angrily. HQ wanted to know what was happening. Before he could phrase any kind of response, his world turned bright.

X-Com had always guarded it secrets zealously and had always boasted unconventional means to keep their secrets. The Lady might not want to hurt humans, she had no compunction about vaporizing the Elder's slaves. The ten kiloton elerium enhanced nuclear weapon that had been buried just under one of the ancient huts did that nicely. It had been carefully designed and placed. The blast would affect nothing outside of two kilometers away. _Inside_ that?

It would be some time before _anyone_ was going to be able probe what little was left of that ruin again. Even the Elder's tech had limits when ti came to such intense radiation. Not that there was anything left.

Just memories.


	18. Chapter 18

**UFOs, IFOs, ZFOs**

Cooper felt every ounce of his blood pool into the back of his body as something slammed him to the deck. Every grip on him tightened even through the bubble material he was encased in. He couldn't hear anything now and he was slightly freaked about that.

 _The ship is not airtight after so long in storage but we have made it as safe as we can._ The alien that shared Cooper's mind reassured him. _The reason_ _that only_ _you and Kristen are in the bubbles is that everyone else has suits._

 _You work fast._ Cooper said in awe. The Lady chuckled in his mind.

 _Desperation is a heck of an incentive to move fast._ She said with a smile in her tone. Said tone sobered. _This ship cannot outrun any conceivable Advent pursuit, so we had to out-think it._

 _What can I do?_ Cooper asked.

 _Rest._ The Lady said gently. _The last few days have been very stressful. You need the rest. Kristen needs you. Mara needs you. We all need you. So please, little one. Please rest._

 _I am not sure if I can._ Cooper said sadly. He was stunned when the Lady started to sing something softly in his mind. A lullaby. Whatever language she was singing in, he didn't know. It wasn't English, but he was soothed and in moments, he was asleep.

* * *

Some time later

Cooper woke to warmth. He was very warm and he was not lying on hard metal anymore. He felt softness underneath him.

"Back with us, Doctor Cooper?" Valere's voice came from nearby and Cooper cracked his eyes slowly.

What met them was astonishing. He wasn't in the ship anymore. He was lying on a beach! Some kind of small structure had been erected over top of him, it didn't look permanent, but it was made of metal the recognized. It was Advent smart metal, the kind they used in all of their constructions. Valere sat nearby, her huge head covered by some kind of hat. Was it made of straw? Kristen slept on the other side of the one room structure.

"Where are we?" Cooper asked as he looked around. The scene was peaceful. As far as hie eyes could see, he saw nothing but placid ocean. The beach stretched out in either direction.

"This is a small island in the South Pacific." Valere said quietly. "It is far enough away from Advent scanners that you can take time to heal here. Add to that? Everyone needed some time to relax. You more than most."

"Advent will track us!" Cooper sat up and groaned as his head hurt. Valere put out a hand and slowly eased him back to the surface he had been lying on. "X-Com can track Kristen!"

He stared at Kristen, but she did not rouse. Her chest rose and fell, so she was alive, but she was unconscious.

"I know." Valere said sadly. "Which is why only you, me, Mara and Kristen are on this island at the moment. Everyone else is in a safe location. The bubbles didn't work quite right or we would have gone straight there. You and Kristen would not have survived the trip though, so we had to improvise."

"It is always _something_ , isn't it?" Cooper asked with a sigh. Valere chuckled at his wry tone and her hand rubbed his arm.

"We lost Kerry, but the Lady says they won't hurt her." Valere said with a small sob. "I have to believe her."

"I am sorry, Valere." Cooper rubbed her hand as she fought not to cry. "As soon as you found me, your life got bad."

"My life was bad _anyway_." Valere corrected him. "We were scavengers. Looters. We couldn't fight Advent, but that didn't stop us from being vicious with traps or tricks. Our time was running out, Doctor. What happened to me was not your fault. Peter and the Lady saved me. It is not exactly what I might have wanted, but I am alive."

"That you are." Cooper patted her hand. "So... What is the plan?"

"You and Kristen have to stay here until we can get transport squared away for you." Valere said quietly. "Mara is off checking the island. There were no life signs larger than a bird, so she will be fine." She looked a bit melancholy.

"Valere?" Cooper asked slowly. "What is wrong?"

"I flew the ship." Valere said with a wince. "It felt… I don't have the words. I always envied birds the ability to fly. It was amazing, but I was also completely aware that I had everyone counting on me. It was scary."

"You did it." Cooper smiled at the large headed girl. "And who knows? Maybe you will get to fly again."

"I hope so." Naked longing shone through Valere's words and then she sighed. "It is not as easy as the Sectoids made it look. Even the simulators were nowhere near as hard as flying that thing."

"The Sectoids." Cooper stiffened. "Wait! The Sectoids! Did we leave them behind?" He demanded.

"No." Valere reassured him. "They had their own transport. They left before we did, as soon as we realized that Kristen was being tracked." Both turned as Kristen groaned.

"I am sorry about that." Kristen's voice was rough and her face was screwed up in a grimace. "Ow? What… Where?" She opened her eyes and looked around, but she didn't move. Smart woman.

"We had to evacuate faster than planned." Valere said sadly. "I am Valere. We met, but you were only half awake."

"I remember your voice." Kristen said slowly, closing her eyes and then opening them again. "You were kind to me." She looked at Valere and froze. "Are you… all right?" She asked and then winced. "I don't mean to sound like a bigot or anything..."

"I died." Valere might have been discussing the weather. "The Lady and Peter brought me back, but the damage to my brain was extensive. They had to get creative to replace parts. My memory center was untouched, so I am still who I was, but..." She waved a hand at her skull. "It is freaky, I know."

"I am not freaking." Kristen said softly. "I _should_ be, but I am not. The sponge is not activating." She looked at Cooper and winced. "Doctor? Is it working?"

Cooper forced himself to sit up and then he crawled to where Kristen lay, her face worried. Valere looked uncertain, but she did not stop him. Cooper looked a question at Kristen and she smiled a bit forlornly.

"What do you want me to do?" Kristen asked quietly. "I don't have handcuffs or anything."

"Lie back and try to relax." Cooper said with a smile as she did as instructed. She even closed her eyes as he laid his hands on her bare skull. She tensed as his fingers touched her, but did nothing else. He could always feel the sponges he put inside people, and hers was still functioning. "It is working." He retracted his hands and retreated. "I don't know why you are not worried about Valere. I am."

"Maybe just because I have seen a lot of weird stuff?" Kristen asked. "It is not like she is trying to kill me after all."

"Wait until she demands you exercise, _then_ say that." Cooper quipped. Kristen stared at him and then at Valere who smirked.

"Oh." Kristen swallowed hard. "Physical therapist?" Valere nodded, her eyes solemn. Was that a twinkle? "Oh dear."

"Be afraid." Mara's voice sounded from nearby and Kristen froze, her face suddenly blank. "Be _very_ afraid."

"Mara." Kristen stared as her sister entered the enclosure clutching a clear bag with several fish in it. Mara nodded to her and to the others.

"We were both wrong to do what we did." Mara said quietly. "To say what we did. I am _still_ angry with you." She said with a growl.

"I deserve that." Kristen said in a tiny voice. "I hurt someone who didn't deserve it. All I could think was that he had brainwashed you and turned you into a slave, maybe a toy for his bed and I… _Mara_..." She was crying now. "I am sorry."

"I was such a bitch." Mara said quietly as Kristen cried. "I was young and I was stupid. I said things that I shouldn't have and I did something incredibly dumb. I paid for it. Kristen, the only person you can fix is you."

"I know." Kristen said through her tears. She held out a hand to Mara who stared at it. "Please?" She begged.

"My hate won't vanish overnight, Kristen." Mara said quietly. "It cannot even with what Cooper taught me about controlling myself." She smiled ta Cooper. "It took him a while. I am bit stubborn."

"You don't _say!_ " Kristen was both laughing and crying now.

"This seems like a conversation that needs to be private." Cooper sat up and then slowly rose to his feet. He was a bit dizzy, but it passed. Valere nodded to him and then glared at the other two.

"No hitting!"

" _Yes, Ma'am!_ " Kristen and Mara with exclaimed as one. Cooper bit back a chuckle as Valere swept from the structure and he followed her.

Outside, he could see more. The ocean wasn't totally peaceful. He saw rough water a few hundred meters away from the beach. As he looked around, he saw trees and a cliff nearby. He turned to Valere who nodded.

"This island is not on any maps that we could find. There are a lot of small islands like that in this ocean." The alien looking girl said quietly. "There are no Advent facilities within two thousand kilometers. It is not ideal. We had planned to fly straight to our hideaway. But you and Kristen would not have survived the trip."

"The hideaway is not on Earth, is it?" Cooper asked Valere just looked at him and he shook his head."Never mind. Better I _don't_ know for now, considering how many people have captured and interrogated me in the last year or so."

"Will they interrogate Kerry?" Valere asked, her face suddenly as young as her true years.

"I don't know, Valere." Cooper stared out at the open sea, his thoughts far away. "But they were not rough about it when they did it to me this last time. Or to Mara. They were thorough and quick, but not overly rough. It wasn't _pleasant_ , but it didn't hurt either. I cannot see them hurting her. What does she know?"

"A lot." Valere said in a small voice. "She was the first one to wake, to understand what had happened. She accepted it quickly. The others? They accepted that the Lady acted to save them, but not all of them trust her. Imam Robinson for one refuses to trust."

"It is hard to blame him.," Cooper tried hard not to sigh and managed. "After all the messes the Elders made, all the lies, all the fighting and death… It is hard to blame him."

"If the Elders find out about the Lady..." Valere said in a small voice that trailed off.

"...it won't end well for us. No." Cooper agreed. He remembered the Lady's warning about Asaru and did not mention that one. If the other Ethereal was willing to kill his own soldiers to protect his secret, then he would kill _anyone_. What the Elders might do if they discovered a young Ethereal in their midst boggled the mind and not in a good way.

"I was..." Valere broke off as something happened well out beyond the rough water that was probably a reef. "What is _that_?"

Cooper and Valere stared as a large dark object broke the surface. It was tall and square and obviously man made.

"Ah… Valere…?" Cooper asked as he stared. Was that a _submarine_? He had read about them but never seen one. He couldn't identify who it had belonged to. It had no flags or anything on it.

"There was nothing on any sensors." Valere had frozen. Fear or shock? Either way, she was a statue. "But if they were _underwater_ … Oh dear."

"Go back into the structure." Cooper said flatly as he saw something launch from the black metal thing. A boat of some kind. It was heading for the shore! "Keep your hat on."

"Can you talk to the Lady?" Valere begged, tugging his arm. "She said she was tired and had to rest, but maybe..."

"He can't." A new voice nearby had Valere squeaking, but Cooper was only slightly surprised when Weaver stepped out of the trees, her odd rifle in her hands. "Valere, _go_!"

Valere sent one more anxious look at Cooper, but he kept his eyes on the boat that was crossing the reef now. It had several forms in it and were those weapons? Had to be, they were aimed at him and Weaver.

"I am no soldier, but only a fool would leave the four of us without adult supervision." Cooper said mildly as the boat zoomed towards shore. He counted five human forms in it. Four of them had weapons aimed.

"I don't know the class of submarine." Weaver said quietly. Cooper looked at her. Her rifle was not aimed. "I have been out of touch."

"That you have." Cooper chuckled a little. "Think they are hostile?"

"If they saw the ship land, probably. If not? Who knows." Weaver mused. "I always heard submariners were a little weird." Cooper glanced at her, incredulous, and she shrugged. "Hey, it is what I heard."

"Compared to the perfectly _sane_ and _reasonable_ lives _we_ lead." Cooper muttered and Weaver smothered a chuckle as the boat landed.

"Good point." Weaver did not react as the men aboard the boat jumped out and fanned out, all four of them still aiming at her. The fifth man stayed at the boat's controls, but then a sixth person jumped out. The small woman was tanned and fit, and she held a pistol in a professional grip. She was not young, but not old either. Weaver nodded to her. "Lieutenant." Cooper froze. Did she _know_ this being? There was no _way_ … Weaver must have seen his confusion because she spoke again. "She is wearing the rank tabs of a US Navy Lieutenant. Those haven't changed."

"I will take your word for that." Cooper was careful to keep his hands still and in plain view.

"You speak English." The woman replied in a deep accent that Cooper was reasonably sure a Southern US. "Care to explain what you are doing here?"

"We are hiding from the Elders." Weaver did not react when one of the men motioned for her to drop her weapon. "And no, the accent is good, but you are not American. Neither are they."

"You are very well informed." The woman replied, her accent shifting to something a bit more neutral. "Then again, our lookouts picked up a UFO flying around this area and suddenly there are _people_ on this island where there were not before." All four of the men with her were wary and not one seemed to be blinking!

"Oops." Weaver was not worried. Not at all! "But if you thought we were aliens, you wouldn't have shown yourselves. Or you would have dropped a missile on us if you have any left that work."

"Captain got curious." The other replied. "Not a lot going on in this part of the world, but suddenly sensors that haven't tripped in two decades start screaming and we see all kinds of Advent stuff flying."

"Sensors?" Cooper asked when Weaver did not respond.

"Before the aliens came, every government on Earth had sensors in place to detect nuclear blasts." The officer said quietly. "They had all sorts of reasons to have them but mostly it was to keep other governments from testing such things clandestinely."

" _Nuclear?_ " Cooper asked, horrified. He turned to Weaver. "What the _hell_ did you _do?_ "

"They got nothing from the base." Weaver replied with a tiny shrug. "None of our people were hurt. It was a win."

"You had a _nuclear weapon_?" Cooper demanded. He noted that the Lieutenant looked amused. Weaver just looked blank. "What _else_ did you have there?"

"No comment." Weaver had not taken her eyes from the Lieutenant who looked decidedly amused now. A couple of the men actually chuckled at her tone. But then all of the newcomers tensed as a radio crackled.

"Incoming UFO! North by Northeast! Ten thousand at fifty miles!" The man grabbed for the lieutenant and all five of them backed for the boat. Weaver did not move.

"If you are coming, you need to come now!" The lieutenant said savagely as she jumped into the boat.

"We didn't know you were here." Weaver said with a sigh. "You are covered. Even if they see you, they cannot report in."

"If they see us on the surface, they will sink us!" The lieutenant snapped. "If you are coming..." She paused as Weaver raised a hand to her ear, nodded and then pointed at the sky. "What?"

"You are covered." Weaver repeated as a fireball blossomed in the sky. Everyone including Cooper froze as a soft crack sounded in the distance. "We cannot do that often, but we could here."

"What did you just do?" Cooper demanded. A sputtering came from the radio, but everyone ignored that to eye Weaver.

"Me?" Weaver put on her best innocent look. "I was standing right here."

"What did you _do_?" Cooper felt his control start to fray as Weaver just looked at him. "They will have to know where that craft went down! They will be all over _us_ and _them_!" He waved at the sailors who looked dubious. The Lieutenant just eyed Weaver.

"No, they won't." Weaver said mildly. "You think the ones who worked with the Lady just sat on their asses after building what she needed?"

"What Lady?" The Lieutenant asked slowly. "Who the hell are you people?"

"You wouldn't believe me." Weaver said sadly. "But Cooper, that UFO was only one of many shot down today. They had to clear the sky for the Lady to get clear. They had to."

"But why are they _here_?" Cooper pleaded.

"Do you _really_ need me to spell that out?" Weaver demanded. "She loves you. All of you. You are damn right she is going to protect you. Us. She didn't even need to ask. They put one on standby just in case. Glad they did."

"One _what_?" The Lieutenant asked, still frozen.

"A ZFO, Zadjari Flying Object." Weaver looked at the sky and grimaced "Okay, okay. Yeah, go ahead. You gotta, I get it. Show off and then get your asses back into cloak." She muttered something about fighter pilots that sounded decidedly rude.

"What?" Cooper started, but was cut off by a roar.

All eyes went to the sky as something small, angular and fast shot over their heads. It seemed to be barely over the tops of the trees. It was silvery blue instead of purple like the alien craft that Cooper had seen. He had the impression of two engine in the back, but then it was gone. All of the sailors stared after it, open mouthed.

"We cannot stay." Weaver said sadly. "But you _did_ expose yourselves because of us. Protecting you for the moment is the least we can do."

"And here I thought _you_ needed protection." The lieutenant said weakly. "Silly me."

"Yeah, that _was_ kind of silly..."


	19. Chapter 19

**Faces**

Cooper felt decidedly uncomfortable in the spacesuit. It didn't feel bad, it just felt weird. Then again, this whole _situation_ was decidedly weird.

After Weaver's stunning demonstration, the sailors -whoever they had been- had gotten back in their submarine and left for parts unknown. Cooper wished them luck, whoever they actually were. Kristen and Mara had talked well into the night. Valere had shown herself a girl of many talents by cooking the fish that Mara had provided. When asked how she had procured them Mara had glanced at Weaver, blushed and made a face, but refused to comment. Weaver herself had been silent and stoic all night, but Cooper had seen her eyeing Mara with a look of sympathy more than a few times during the sometimes heated discussions with Kristen. They had gone to bed that night in the same structure with Weaver remaining on guard outside. Cooper had asked her if she had help guarding and she had not answered. He hadn't pressed.

When morning had come, Weaver had told them that transport was on its way and they should be ready to depart. They hadn't had a lot of clean up or any belongings so it had been easy to leave.

The ship had been a surprise. Instead of the flying saucer, another of the small, angular silver vessels that had blown the UFO out of the air had landed quickly near the structure and most of the quintet had hurried into it. It had departed just a quickly. Cooper had started for it, but Weaver had stopped him. Another ship had landed, identical to the first, and the remaining pair had entered that. It too had taken off swiftly.

That was when Cooper got uncomfortable. The suit fit him and the plumbing arrangements, while a bit inconvenient, were understandable. The suits had been waiting when they had woken up, he had never seen or heard who delivered them. Getting him hooked up had been interesting and that taken both Valere and Mara helping, but they had managed. The women hadn't had nearly as many problems getting the tubes in. Valere, Mara and Weaver took it in stride and Kristen said she had done weirder stuff. Maybe she had. Cooper carefully did not ask.

That wasn't why he was uncomfortable. He couldn't say why he was. But he was.

"Doc?" Weaver, as always, saw right through his attempts to brazen it out. Even with the bulky antique looking helmet she wore, she was incredibly sharp eyed. The gear was anything but ancient. The communication system built into the helmets was state of the art, as were the other systems. "Problem?"

"I don't know." Cooper admitted. "I feel strange. Not bad, just strange."

"We left atmosphere five minutes ago." Weaver shrugged slightly. "It might be that. This ship has internal gravity, but it has to be odd, your first time out of the Earth's environs. It was for me." She admitted in a rare moment of introspection.

"When did you first fly out of Earth's atmosphere?" Cooper asked and then paused. "If you can tell me, that is."

"Anyone who might court martial me for such is likely dead by now. And if they are not? They would shoot me for a _lot_ of other stuff I have done." Weaver shrugged. "During the Zadjari invasion, the enemy commander had a ship in near Earth orbit. In the final campaign, we attacked it. We boarded it and took it over." Cooper's eyes had to be huge and she nodded. "It wasn't easy and we lost a lot of good people doing it. That was the first time I flew out of atmosphere. I had been to another world, but we stayed close t their structures. I hadn't set down, I stayed on the ship to defend it while Carter and a picked team took the fight to the enemy." She sighed. "Never thought I would miss William 'I am an asshole and I don't care' Carter, but I do." Cooper had to smile at her dubious tone.

"Can you tell me where we are going?" Cooper asked quietly. "Or is it still unsafe?"

"I don't think 'safe' is going to be anywhere near this solar system in the near future." Weaver said sadly. "We gave the Elders a serious bloody nose yesterday. They will not take that lightly."

"Hey, don't look at me!" Cooper held up empty hands. "I am not the one who used a nuclear weapon!"

"Neither am I." Weaver admitted. "That was built into the base revamp from the get-go." Cooper stared at her and she shrugged. "Say what you will about the Bureau, they had some kick ass engineers seventy years ago. As soon as I left, it went onto a timer."

"You were..." Cooper paused. "Why?"

"They didn't want me to leave." Weaver said quietly. "My job was to hold that prison against all comers, to make sure the Ethereal did not rise again. I failed." Cooper stared at her, confused and she smiled a little. "I pissed off most of my bosses. That place was as much a prison for me as for the Sectoids and the Lady."

"You know..." Cooper mused. "The more I learn about your Bureau, the less I want to know."

"It wasn't all bad." Weaver protested mildly. "But yeah."

Cooper looked at her and then around the stark metal bay. He missed Valere and Mara already. Then he looked at Weaver.

"Why two ships?" He asked quietly. Weaver eyed him and he shook his head. "They are tracking me, aren't they?" Weaver bit her lip and nodded. "Makes sense. That UFO was heading right for us when your 'cover' blew it out of the air."

"We do not know how they are tracking you." Weaver was very quiet. "And since we do not know how, we cannot counter it."

"So I am not going to where the others are." Cooper mused. Weaver nodded again. "Good. Do you have a plan?" He paused and stared at the cockpit he he saw a Sectoid working controls. "Ah..."

"He volunteered." Weaver was still quiet. "So did I." Cooper glared at her and she smirked. "Hey, insane is what the Bureau _did_. We have a plan, but it is a long shot. They seem to want you alive."

"Hmmm?" Cooper asked and then groaned. "Oh, yes. They could have bombed the base instead of sending troops. So, I am the reason you had to run so soon."

"You hastened things, but that is all." Weaver reassured him. "We are pretty sure the Elders know about the Lady, but they cannot track her."

"Are you _sure_?" Cooper demanded, fear for the Lady rising. "She was kind to me."

"She is kind to everyone who doesn't attack her or hers." Weaver replied evenly. "She may be young, but she is no fool. We didn't know all of what Advent did to you, so we were as ready as we could be."

"Ready to _nuke_ yourselves if needed." Cooper said sourly.

"Not really." Weaver made a face. "I knew that as soon as I left, the failsafes would activate, but that place was home for a long time. I was-"

Whatever else was going to say was cut off as the ship lurched sideways. Copper flung himself at a grab bar but missed it. Weaver was grabbing for him when next impact sent him into darkness.

* * *

Later

 _Doctor_ _._ The voice was in Cooper's head but it wasn't the Lady or the other she called Asaru. It did not feel like an Ethereal. _You live._

 _Go…. Away…_ Cooper managed through whatever was coalesced around him. He felt like he was swimming in treacle. Something burned in his arm and he felt the world slipping away as something else crackled around his head. He screamed as pain flared through him. Madness beckoned, but it was held away by something.

"You are not getting out of here, Doctor." A somewhat familiar voice sounded and Cooper fought his way back to consciousness. "Not until the program is finished."

Something shocked him again and this time, his eyes opened of their own accord. He saw a ceiling that looked rounded. The colors around him were purples and greens. Not an X-Com ship. But the face that loomed over him was very familiar. It was the man he remembered from the prison! The one who had told him the Major would kill him. But Kristen wouldn't! She was different now that the programming… His thoughts took an abrupt right turn.

"You..." Cooper was amazed his voice worked so well. " _You_ did this. To me. To Kristen. You are working for the Elders." The man smirked.

"Still clueless." The man had his share of arrogance. "The Elders have nothing to do with this." Cooper's eyes narrowed even as machinery started closing in. He ignored it, focusing on the man. "You are going to get me access to that tame Ethereal and then we can end this war once and for all."

" _Tame?_ " Cooper managed a laugh although he was terrified by the implications. This man knew about the Lady. He knew about Cooper's work. He knew _everything_. HE was X-Com and had brainwashed Kristen. For what? "And you call _me_ clueless?" He would have shaken his head but he was strapped down.

Where was Weaver? He couldn't see much except the ceiling of what had to be a UFO.

"You will be a hell of an asset when I am finished." The other said with a smile. "We will bring peace back to the Earth."

"The peace of the _grave!_ " Cooper snapped and then screamed as power flared around him. He was barely conscious of the machinery enclosing him.

Then he couldn't even scream.

He was lost in the pain, in the fear that surged through him. He couldn't feel his body anymore. He could barely feel the pain now. But something gathered him up and held him tight, soothing his hurts.

 _It wasn't the Lady!_

 _Stop!_ An angry voice slashed through the pain in Cooper's head like a sword. It wasn't a voice he knew. _You will kill him!_

It wasn't a voice he knew, but he knew _what_ it was. It was an Ethereal. An Elder?

"You aliens are so limited in your understanding." The human said with a sigh. "No, I won't kill him. He is immortal now after what the other did to him."

 _Immortal?_ The other sounded stunned and then the anger came back mixed with a healthy dose of scorn. _Is_ **that** _what you seek? Truly? Immortality? How… pathetic._

"You do not understand and you will not." The man said flatly. "This alliance is one of convenience. You want the Commander. I want Cooper. You want humanity to fix your disease and I want the remainder that you cannot use. We both win."

 _You think this will aid your conquest or grant you immortality?_ The other demanded, incredulous. _You think that making your minions mindless is the way to victory? We learned that lesson, fool. Our allies are many and they serve as one, but they are not mindless._

"You say poh-tat-o, I say poa-ta-toh." The man quipped as energy flared around Cooper again, but this time, it did nothing to him. "Oh come on. I am not going to kill him."

 _Yes, you will._ _You do not understand what you are doing!_ The other snapped. _You think you know what Cooper did. You do not._ **We** _barely understand what he did and it was amazing, but it is not what you think. You cannot sense the tears in his mind that you are widening even now. Stop this_ _before you harm him irrevocably_ _!_

"How many troops have you lost in the last few days?" The man asked. "How many ships? I can end this now. All I need to do is access the sponges, and I can control them all."

 _Access…? Control…?_ The other sounded stunned. _You are mad._

 _Duh._ Cooper managed and the mind that held his heaved a great sigh.

 _Your words were persuasive._ The Elder replied slowly. _Your ability to fend off our mind controls was also persuasive. Too good to be true._

 _If it seems to good to be true…_ Cooper screamed in his mind as power flared around him again and this time, it hurt him.

 _...it usually is._ The Elder said sadly. _Our species share the same sense of irony it seems, Doctor Cooper. Enough. Stop this or we will stop you._

"You can't!" The other declared. "I am so close!"

 _So close to_ **killing** _this little one!_ The other snapped. _Guards!_

 _Little… one…?"_ Cooper asked in his mind as the voice that he had hated as soon as he heard it shouted and the sounds of a struggle came. It faded. But his fear rose to new heights. If they knew that moniker, then they knew everything! They knew! The Elders knew about the Lady!

 _Yes. She calls you that and you do not know why._ The Elder was suddenly kind. _The one you call Lady woke to horror. She woke to fear and pain, grief and loss. She should have gone immediately and irrevocably mad. Why didn't she?_

 _I don't know._ Cooper said weakly.

 _It is fairly simple. She did not go mad because_ _as soon as she was aware,_ _she_ _immediately_ _had someone to care for and to care for her._ The Elder said gently. _We have done horrors to your people, Doctor Cooper. We regret the necessity of them, but our own race is facing extinction. We too fear oblivion. Even as powerful and long lived as we are, we_ _are not immortal. We_ _fear Death_ _just as your kind do_ _._

 _Please don't hurt her._ Cooper begged.

 _As if she will_ **let** _us?_ The other asked in a somewhat chiding voice. Said tone moderated as the machinery around Cooper started to retract. _We cannot track her. We_ **can** _track you. We thought you were in danger at that base, we had no idea that she was there. If we had, things would not have been so bloody. She had no reason to trust us. She feels for your people as is proper. She is with you even now._

 _No!_ Cooper begged as hands that did not feel human pulled him from the machinery. He was shivering and could not open his eyes. Something warm wrapped around him, something with a heartbeat. Hard claws were checking his vitals and soothing energy was pouring over his head.

 _We will not harm you._ The other reassured him. _We will not harm her or those who look to her. You did the impossible. She should not have been able to coalesce, but she did in response to your suffering. We did not know she existed until she came into her power and she flared like a nova in our sight as a response to your pain._

 _My… pain…?_ Cooper managed as the shivers got worse and something else draped over him. It felt warm, but _he_ was so cold.

 _In every way that matters, you birthed her and she saved you._ The Elder said quietly. _The only way she could. You are her child now in a way that no human will ever understand fully. No. We will not harm you. Not now. Not_ **ever** _. This has happened before, in the mists of antiquity and we remember. We will not repeat the same mistakes._

 _I…_ Something found Cooper's lips and a straw passed them. He drank and the water was the most marvelous thing he had ever tasted.

 _Rest,_ _l_ _ittle one._ The Elder said in a soothing voice. _We will not harm you. We will transfer you to proper medical care. If needed, we will bring you to our sanctuary, but we do not believe that will be needed. We were in time. You have taken grievous hurts, but you will recover. When you do, you will return to your lady._ _Hopefully, by then this conflict will have ended,_ _our sickness cured_ _and we will be able to greet you and your mother properly._

Cooper was trying to from another protest as the warmth carried him away.

* * *

It was very quiet in the main bay of the UFO. The pair of Vipers that had been warming Cooper slid away as a Sectoid moved him onto a gurney. Mutons stood a wary guard at each door that led into the main bay and more soldiers stood elsewhere. Two of them stood over a slumped human form. The man groaned. He was alive.

None of them saw the shadow in the far corner that she had slunk to after escaping her cell and finding her rifle.

Waver had her shot. She had her rifle in hand and the charge was full. She could take it and Cooper would suffer no more. She could shoot and then exfiltrate, maybe taking the mad human to face the Lady's wrath. Maybe not. She doubted that the aliens would be merciful at all from what she had overheard.

 _Lady…_ Weaver begged in her mind. _We can't trust them._

 _I know, Angela._ The Lady was crying. Here and now, there was no formality or the need for such. _I know. But I love him. I cannot order you to do this._ _I know how much this hurts you, to take a human life. Again._

 _He is a good man._ Weaver's finger was slowly squeezing the trigger. _He didn't deserve any of this!_ She froze as the sound of battle came form nearby. _Lady!_

 _Damnit! X-Com! Of all the lousy timing! Angela, get out of there!_

The human on the floor was laughing as the aliens moved to shelter Cooper and guard him. Weaver jerked as a flashbang grenade landed in the middle of the room. She wasn't baldy affected by it, only blinded for a moment, but the others all were worse off.

 _Why didn't they use a frag grenade?_ Angela asked the lady but _another_ voice answered her.

 _Because that would have killed him too, Agent Weaver._

When Weaver's eyes cleared, a whole team of X-Com stood between her and Cooper, several of the aliens dead at their feet. But it was the girl in armor that held a pistol to Cooper's head that had Weaver's heart sinking and the Lady's mind voice tense with fear as they spoke her name together.

"Kerry..."


	20. Chapter 20

**The price of freedom**

The scene was totally frozen. None of the aliens were moving and all of the X-Com operatives had cover now from both the aliens and from Weaver. They knew where she was. What was more important? They knew _who_ she was!

Weaver had a shot at Cooper, but... Kerry was _also_ aiming at Cooper and her weapon was odd looking. The girl glanced around her and her eyes were cold as she pressed the weapon's short muzzle deeper into the back of Cooper's head.

 _No!_ The voice of the Ethereal spoke up. From everyone's sudden tension, everyone in the bay could hear it. _Not him! Do not harm him!_

"I will not leave him to you." Kerry said into the sudden silence. The room was surrounded by aliens, Weaver could see forms moving through the open doors that the X-Com had to have come in through. Lots of forms. Far more than had been in this ship. If _anyone_ fired, a lot of people were going to die here. "He has suffered enough."

Weaver's eyes narrowed. Kerry wasn't wearing the same attire as the X-Com team. There were five of _them_ carrying an assortment of weapons. Those wore some kind of form fitting body armor and their weapons were sleek, deadly looking,. Much like her Zadjari plasma sniper rifle come to think of it. The armor Kerry wore looked human in design, not at all like the X-Com team's armor. The pistol she held looked unlike anything Weaver had ever seen. It had a large square piece that was three times the size of Kerry's hand as a receiver and a barrel that she recognized as such, but she saw no magazine and… Was that a _TV screen_ on the back of it? Weaver's eyes also flitted to something that was hovering over one of the soldier's shoulders. Some kind of flying robot. She had to fight a smile. X-Com had always loved tech toys. _That_ hadn't changed in the intervening decades.

 _On that, we can agree, human, if little else._ The Ethereal said flatly. _You will harm him. Killing is what your kind do. We will not harm him._

"But you will never let him be free." Kerry's quiet voice sounded like a gunshot in the silence around the bay. "He is too useful. There are too many who would harm him even if that is not their intent. You know this."

 _We do._ The Ethereal sounded sad. _He is a healer, not a warrior. Advent used him but for a long time, we did not understand what he truly was. When we did, we reacted with surprise, fear and joy. Whatever we have done, whatever you have done,_ **he** _has done nothing but try to help others. Does he deserve to die for that?_

"Why not?" Kerry demanded. "You kill humans. It is what your kind _do_."

 _We could argue semantics all night, human._ The Ethereal said quietly. _Whatever that weapon is, if you fire it at that range, he will die. You may or may not escape. Some of your compatriots will fall._ _These barbarians_ _will not take him._

"They did not come for him." Kerry was still calm. Weaver was hardly the only one to stare at Kerry as the girl shifted her gaze without moving her weapon from Cooper's skull. Weaver followed Kerry';s eyes to the human who had hurt Cooper and understanding struck her like a hammer. X-Com had _never_ liked being betrayed.

 _Oh._ For the first time, the Ethereal sounded discomfited. _That is actually understandable. A first in dealing with these. He lied to us too._

"It wasn't a lie!" The man on the floor cried and tried to rise, only to scream as the closest X-Com operative lashed out with the butt of her rifle and slammed him to the floor.

 _Yes it was._ The Ethereal said flatly. _You forget_ _to_ _who_ _m_ _you speak. We knew all along that y_ _ou had no intention of acting in good faith._ _Until you hurt the little one, we could overlook your eccentricities. Now? No._ Weaver smirked as the man on the floor protested, only to gasp as the woman in armor hit him again. _You know we cannot let you leave with the little one, human._

"I have no intention of leaving." Kerry said quietly. Weaver froze as the Lady's mind pressed in on hers. Both of them stared at Kerry's armor. It was bulky, far too bulky to be _just_ armor. What _else_ was she wearing?

 _Kerry, no!_ The Lady begged. No one seemed to hear her but Weaver.

 _You are surrounded._ The Ethereal said slowly. _You are in the middle of a battleship that has landed in the middle of an Advent base._

The alien gasped as Kerry released the pistol thing with her right hand and pulled something off her armor. Some kind of cover. Weaver felt fear blossom as she saw a small box adhered to Kerry's armor. A box marked with a _radiation symbol!_ She was carrying a _nuke_! A loud alarm started blaring outside and some of the shadows were moving now.

 _She… They… no!_ The Lady said weakly.

"A large base." Kerry was still so maddeningly calm. "This is what the traitor wanted. People willing to do whatever it took to win no matter the cost. I don't care about winning. I just want my friend to be free. He is my friend and my Lady's son. But if he cannot be free… You. Will. Not. Take. Him." She was _still calm!_

 _That is an elerium enhanced nuclear weapon that was hidden from our scans until just now._ _We cannot take control of you to stop it._ The alien said slowly. _A regular human nuclear weapon, we could stop, but not that that. A blast from such_ _of even the smallest magnitude_ _there would kill many and not just Advent troops. That base is in the middle of a city center. You want something or you would have detonated it already._ The Ethereal sounded resigned now. _Name your terms._

"These take their traitor and leave unmolested." Kerry said flatly. "That is nonnegotiable. Once I am sure they are clear, I will disarm the bomb and surrender."

 _You will?_ The Ethereal said and then scoffed. _You expect us to believe you?_

"I serve the _Lady_ , not X-Com." Kerry said flatly. "Even if I blow this here and now, or you manage to stop me and slaughter all of these, they will not stop fighting. I have no interest in your wars. The Lady has my loyalty. No one else. To save her son or top keep him forma life of slavery? To keep this from turning into a free for all? I am ready to die if needed."

 _KERRY!_ The Lady screamed in Weaver's mind.

 _That is not mind control._ The Ethereal sounded unsure. _That is pure loyalty. How long have you known her?_

"Less than a weel." Kerry replied without hesitation. "She is not like you. Every one of her people would die for her or for Cooper and it is not mind control."

 _No._ The Ethereal sounded stunned. _She is not like us. She is young and untainted. She has a chance to be better than us. To have a life that is better than ours. We wish we could, human. But you do not know what you are doing._ **They** _do not know what_ **they** _are doing._

"You compare us to children and maybe we are. How many children know it all?" Kerry asked in a very quiet voice as the Lady sobbed in Weaver's mind. "Not _think_ they do. _Actually_ know it all?" She asked. "None that I have seen. But they grow up eventually. Forcing them to remain as you wish them to be only hurts them. Let these go." She clenched something in her hand. It took no imagination to know what that something was.

 _You leave us few choices._ _They can go. And the other?_ Weaver tensed as several people looked at her. She forced herself to relax and slowly rose, slinging her rifle. She ignored the many weapons aimed at her as she strode to where Kerry stood and laid a hand on Kerry's shoulder.

"I am with her." Weaver smiled as Kerry stared at her, eyes glistening. "You _crazy_ girl."

"Pot, meet kettle." Kerry said weakly as Weaver pulled her into a hug, careful not to disturb the deadwoman's switch that Kerry held tight.

"Agent Weaver..." One of the X-Com troops sounded unsure as she stared from Weaver to the aliens who were slowly retreating. Was that a sword on her back? Weaver was not going to judge.

"Go." Weaver said flatly. "We will be all right." She kicked the man on the floor who groaned. "Take this piece of trash with you."

She was only mildly surprised when the man rolled up to a sitting position, a weapon in his hands, aimed at Cooper. The Colt 1911 pistol she had drawn while her hand was hidden by Kerry's body barked. It was almost instantly followed by three green lines of energy from the X-Com troops and _five_ of the same from alien forces. What fell at Weaver's feet was less a human body than a cinder. Weaver looked at the body and then at the X-Com soldier who was eyeing the aliens. No one moved.

"Sorry." Weaver quipped lightly.

"I am not." The woman scoffed as she stood up slowly. "The paperwork would have been a bitch if we took him alive."

"You still use the Form 11-J for field betrayal reports?" Weaver asked, The woman in armor eyed her and Weaver shrugged. "Just curious."

"And here I thought we had advanced some since your time." The woman chuckled and Weaver shared it.

"Go on. Kerry cannot hold that switch forever." Weaver shook her head. "But if I ever meet whichever of you allowed her to take that… I am going to _hurt_ them. Fair warning."

" _Allowed_?" The armored woman asked, incredulous. "No one _allowed_ a _damn_ thing. She got loose, grabbed the first explosive thing she could in the hangar and activated it before anyone could stop her. None of our psionics worked on her. I kicked the supply guy's ass for leaving that out where she could get hold of it." Weaver stared at her and the armored woman shook her head. "More balls than brains if you ask me. This is not the first place she has held hostage with that."

" _Kerry_!" Weaver exclaimed and then sighed. "Does she know how to disarm it?"

"We told her, but she refused to do it. I am not sure of she got it all." The armored woman shook her head again as the rest of her team started to move. They ignored the human corpse. "On the underside, there is a panel with two recessed push points. It cannot be opened telekinetically without setting the bomb off. It has to be physical." Weaver nodded. That made sense in a world where people could move things with their minds. "Push those two simultaneously and a handle will drop down. Pull down and turn clockwise, the core will come out. No core, no boom."

Simple enough for soldiers to remember. Weaver appreciated that. Soldiers and agents could break _anything_.

"Go." Weaver said as she stared down at Kerry whose face was flushed with fear and embarrassment. "Kerry." She chided the girl as the X-Com soldier ran from the bay, her weapon ready. None of the aliens in the area tried to stop her. No one wanted to test Kerry's willingness to die. Smart of them. "This was dumb."

"I didn't want to, Weaver." Kerry was sad now. "Violence feels wrong. But… What else could I do?"

A rumble sounded in the distance and Weaver looked up. The aliens hadn't moved at all. Cooper lay where he was, face pale and still.

"Kerry." Weaver said softly. "Did she tell the truth about disarming it?"

"That is exactly what they told me." Kerry said weakly. "I _was_ in the middle of their ship at the time."

Weaver nodded and reached for the device. Lo and behold, it came apart just as the X-Com operative had said it would. Weaver stared at the glowing yellow core thing in her hand and then slowly set it on the floor. Her rifle and pistol joined it. Kerry slumped and then laid her pistol thing down beside Weaver's weapons.

"Don't resist."

Weaver held her hands out at her sides as alien forms approached slowly. Two snake creatures took hold of the weapons and quickly slid away with them. Another removed Kerry's armor and the disarmed device, but was oddly gentle doing so. A new form of Sectoid with a much larger head than normal came up and scanned Weaver but found nothing. It scanned Kerry and found nothing else on her. It nodded to both of them and stepped back.

 _You serve your Lady well._ The Ethereal sounded a bit subdued.

"We do our best." Weaver said sadly. "It doesn't feel enough sometimes." The Lady was still crying in her mind and Weaver pulled Kerry close as the girl started to cry too. "What now?"

 _This is unprecedented._ The alien said quietly. _It has been millennia since a new Ethereal was born the way she was. This is both a time for great joy and for great sadness. We are dying, Agent Weaver._ Weaver and Kerry both tensed, but none of the aliens around them seemed to react at all. The Sectoid was scanning Cooper and an Advent trooper was playing some kind of device over his head. His face relaxed in sleep. The Ethereal continued. _This is not common knowledge and it will not be but your Lady deserves to know._

"We are here for Cooper." Weaver said quietly even as the Lady gasped in her mind.

 _You would have killed him to keep him from more pain._ The Ethereal said sadly. _You and this Kerry both._ _Neither of you would have survived and it did not matter._ _That kind of loyalty cannot be indoctrinated. It cannot be bought. It must be earned._ _We know our limits. Where do you wish to go?_

"What?" Weaver asked, stunned.

 _This healer is a the child of an Ethereal. You both are..._ It paused and then spoke again. _We believe the human word in English is 'retainer' not servant. You are not servants. You are neither paid nor constrained to serve. You choose to. That loyalty humbles us all._

"We cannot serve you." Weaver said flatly.

 _We are not asking you to._ Was the Ethereal amused? _All we ask is that you protect your Lady. This_ _clandestine_ _war will end one day. W_ _hoever w_ _in_ _s_ _or lose_ _s_ _, it will end. When that day comes, your Lady will be instrumental in rebuilding this shattered world and its broken people. As long as we do not nuke each other._ This last was stern to Kerry who flushed.

"It was all I could find." Kerry said weakly. "They said it was out because of what happened at the base. The failsafe went off."

 _And a lot of people became very nervous._ The Ethereal replied. _We have already returned our own weapons of mass destruction to storage now that we know what happened. We have no intention of wiping out all life on this planet. It would be a colossal waste._

"We couldn't get at the failsafe to deactivate it. It was buried and trapped." Weaver offered. "I do apologize for the loss of life."

 _You were running from both us and X-Com._ The Ethereal sounded sad again. _The loss of life is regrettable, but the life of a soldier is one of risk._

"Indeed it is." Weaver agreed. "So… You are offering us transport?"

 _You will not trust us and we know better than to try and track you._ The Ethereal replied. _We might lead X-Com to the Lady and that would benefit no one. Not even them. So, we will drop you wherever you wish and leave you there as long as it is safe for you to stay._ Weaver jerked and the Ethereal actually laughed. _You really think we are going to take any chances with her son?_

"No." Weaver chuckled as Kerry stared at her. "No, I guess not." She smiled.

"Tell me, how safe is _Hawaii_ these days?"

* * *

Three hours later

Cooper woke from dreams of pain and fear to comfort. He didn't move, didn't dare breathe.

"We are safe." Weaver's voice sounded form nearby and Cooper cracked his eyes a little. What met them was astonishing. He was lying on something that was incredibly comfortable. Not a bed, a chair of some kind. And he was on another beach! This one was very different.

All around, he could see the remains of human buildings but none were within a kilometer. The beach he lay on was pristine, it looked as if no one had touched it for a long, long time. He stared around. He lay on an oddly, angled chair that sat underneath… was that a beach umbrella he was under? Weaver sat on similar chair nearby, her face shrouded by a long hat. _Kerry_ sat nearby, her face closed as she idly dug in the sand with a stick.

"What happened?" Cooper asked, confused. The last he remembered, he had been a prisoner of the Elders. "Tell me you didn't kill people to rescue me."

"We didn't." Weaver smiled at him, but her eyes were on the water.

"Did _anyone_ die?" Cooper asked carefully.

"Humans? Only the one who hurt you and Kristen." Weaver shrugged. "And he died _way_ too quickly and easily." Cooper stared at her and her smile turned into a grin. "We negotiated. You know. Talking? Civilized beings do that, you know?"

"You _negotiated_." Cooper wasn't sure he believed the agent.

"Yeah." Weaver smiled wider but it did not reach her eyes. "Kerry was quite persuasive in her arguments." Why was Kerry flushing so badly? Cooper would ask her later..

"And the Elders?" Cooper asked, still confused.

"They say they have no interest in harming the Lady or fighting us when they have their hands full with X-Com." Weaver replied, her eyes going back to the water. "It might be a trap. Anything could be, but they do not want you harmed. They went to great lengths not to hurt you."

"They said I was the Lady's offspring, but I am not." Cooper said weakly.

"I don't know, Cooper. I don't think _she_ does." Waver replied. "She does love you."

"I… I know." Cooper slumped a bit, his tension easing. "Where are we?"

"Hawaii. We are waiting for pickup." Weaver said quietly. "Our ride is scouting the area to be sure there are no surprises. I picked the first place that came to mind. I..." She slumped a bit. "I should have thought more."

"Weaver, are you all right?" Why was she staring out at a white building out on the water?

"No." Weaver said sadly. "My uncle was in the US Navy. He was stationed here. He was a mechanic." Cooper stared at her and then around. His eyes caught a sign that was half buried in the sand. He stared at the words, uncomprehending. '-earl Harbo- Nation- Historic Site.' He jerked as the words made sense. And Weaver had been alive at that time!

" _Pearl Harbor_." Cooper inhaled sharply as Weaver nodded. "Oh my god, _Weaver_!" She was crying quietly as he rose and walked to her side.

"He was so proud when he told us he had been assigned to a battleship. To the Arizona." Weaver was crying hard as Cooper knelt down and took her in his arms. "He was so nice to me and Petey. We were just little kids, rugrats, but he was nice to us. Then he was called back to duty."

"And he didn't get out." Cooper finished. Weaver shook her head. "Damn, Weaver. Call them! Get us out of here!"

"They have to be sure we are safe." Weaver said weakly as Cooper held her. "I didn't think it would hurt this much!"

"Did you grieve for him, Weaver?" She shook her head. "I see."

"I had to be strong even before the Bureau." Weaver said weakly. "For Uncle Jim. For mom, dad, Petey. Everyone was counting on me. I had to be strong. I never came to see." Cooper took hold of her head and turned it from the water until it faced him.

"You were strong." He said quietly. "You _are_ strong." The Lady's sorrow filled him and her compassion made his heart ache as he held Weaver. "You are also not alone. You have a family again. We will be exasperating. Pig headed. Insufferable, more than likely on occasion. But we _are_ your family."

He pulled her to her feet and spun her until she was standing beside him and both were looking at the white thing on the water.

"You needed to see. To say goodbye." Weaver nodded, unable to speak. "I was never a great student of history." Cooper said as he held Weaver. Kerry stepped up and joined the embrace. "But _anyone_ who studied _any_ history in the US learned about Pearl Harbor, if just the propaganda." Weaver was still crying, but she relaxed as Cooper and Kerry held her. "I remember the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His 'day that will live in Infamy' speech and his inaugural one. I always _preferred_ the inaugural one. War may be Earth's true destiny, but _we_ can find our own and his words will guide us."

A rumble sounded from overhead and one of the small angular ships appeared, hovering nearby It eased itself towards the sand and the doors opened, beckoning them to their future. He and Kerry led Weaver towards it while Weaver stared at the Arizona memorial. At her uncle's watery grave.

"'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.'"

Then they were gone.


End file.
